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â™ª ("when the saintsgo marching in") â™ª (applause) announcer:ladies and gentleman, please welcome journalist andceo of the starfish media group, soledad o'brien, and author andactor hill harper. hill harper:hey, everybody, how'severybody doing out there? soledad o'brien:good morning, everybody. it is a privilege towelcome you to a celebration

and a commemoration ofthe march on washington. hill harper:on this very day -- 50 years ago,in this spot, 50 years ago -- hundreds of thousandsof people came together to be partof a call to action. soledad o'brien:that moment would define not just the americancivil rights movement -- and it would remind usof our core values, who we are as americans.

hill harper:what is the dream? what does it mean tofulfill the dream? soledad o'brien:the speech bydr. martin luther king, jr., was delivered right here. hill harper:if you could see whati see, look around. imagine what it was liketo be here 50 years ago. hundreds of thousands of peoplewho came from across our country to be part of somethingbigger than themselves. soledad o'brien:there was rumors, of course,

that coming herewould be dangerous. there were fears, in fact,that maybe nobody would show up. but in the end,it was a success, because people believed in thepower of standing for something. that speech by dr. king wasnot called "i have a dream." it was called"normalcy never again." and it was about justice. hill harper:yes. soledad o'brien:and it was about opportunityfor all people.

hill harper:for all people. it was about looking forward to where we needto go as a country, which reminds me of oneof my favorite rfk quotes from about 50 years ago, where he said thatthe future does not belong to those who are fearfulof bold projects and new ideas, but rather the future belongsto those who can blend passion, reason, and courageinto a personal commitment

to the great ideals andenterprises of american society. soledad o'brien:in 1963, i wasin the mind of god, as my mother would say. i'd be born three years later. but my parents, an interracial coupleliving in baltimore, maryland, knew the importance of themessage that was delivered here. their marriagein 1958 was illegal in the state where they lived.

they came to the nation'scapital to get married. and now, 55 years later, they have seentremendous change. they've seen laws change. they've seen opportunities grow. hill harper:look at this audience. some of you were righthere during the march. if you were here during themarch in 1963, make some noise. okay.

if you were wished you werehere in 1963, make some noise. soledad o'brien:for those ofyou who were here, we say, "thank you." it was your passion -- hill harper:it was your courage. soledad o'brien:it was your commitmentto change the world that allowed the rest of us whowere not there to benefit from the sacrifices that you made. and they were sacrifices.

hill harper:so today, we are gatheredto humbly say thank you, to celebratewhat was gained, to remember what waslost, and to move forward. to double our efforts, because we knowthat we are always better if we stand together. soledad o'brien:thank you. and welcome, everybody. announcer:to give today's invocation,

please welcomepastor a.r. bernard from the christiancultural center. a.r. bernard:good morning. writer, philosopher, educator, and first black rhodes scholarin 1907, alain leroy locke, said, "lynching, beatings,castrations, and more lynchings. it almost passes humanunderstanding how a people can be so socially despised,yet artistically esteemed. so degraded, and yetculturally influential.

so ostracized, and yet adominant editorial force in american life." zora neale hurston said, "sometimesi do feel discriminated against, but it doesn'tmake me angry. it merely astonishes me. how can anyone deny themselvesthe pleasure of my company? it's beyond me." these were two voices from anera in african american history

that sought to move away fromthe influences of slavery on black identity. guided by the idealsof self-definition, self-expression,self-determination, and self-reliance, theyforged a new black identity. they called themselvesthe new negro movement, better known as theharlem renaissance, creating their own literature,art, music, theater. they artistically andintellectually challenged

the pervading black stereotypes. from this generation emergednames like w.e.b. dubois, alain leroy locke,zora neale hurston, claude mckay, langston hughes, fats waller,duke ellington. white americaexperienced it and said, "ooh, we like the styleof these people." so they enjoyed it, adopted it,integrated it, and exploited it. and the popularityof black style and culture

soon spreadthroughout the country. but it was not enough for black folksto be artistically admired. blacks wanted and demanded fullparticipation in the social, political, and economiclife of american society. and that attitude set the stagefor the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. and after major developments inthe black struggle for freedom, justice, and equality, onwednesday, august 28, 1963,

300,000 people,80 percent of them black, marched on the nation's capital and stood beforethis lincoln memorial, declaring that the timefor radical change had come. we are here today tocelebrate, commemorate, and reflect on that event. that history. that movement. and celebratingthe past is good.

but without a visionfor the future, we will never movebeyond that past. in 2008, america was ready for an intelligentand articulate black man to sit in the oval office. he brought not onlyhis intelligence, but he also brought someswagger into the white house. the reality is,however, in three years, the first black familywill leave the white house.

and black folks will beforced to ask the question -- where are we asblack people in america? where are we socially,politically, educationally, and economically? and we will discover thatthe struggle is not over. through determination,faith, and patience, we have obtained some ofthe promises of america, but we still havea long way to go. and the same godwho brought us this far,

we must trust and depend onto take us into the future. let us bow our heads andgo to that god in prayer. eternal god andeverlasting father, our prayer today isshort and simple. give us wisdom. give us insight. give us courage. give us leadership. but more importantly,give us a vision for the future,

for without it,we will not move beyond the achievementsof the past. we ask you to blessevery speaker, every singer. bless us todayas we celebrate the past but look forward to the future. in your name, we pray. amen. audience:amen. hill harper:ladies and gentlemen,it is my humbling honor

to bring to you now a man who i havethe deepest respect for, someone who is a livinglegend and a true hero of the civil rights movement. please rise to your feet andwelcome ambassador andrew young. andrew young:i don't know about you, but... â™ª i woke up this morningwith my mind â™ª â™ª stayed on freedom. â™ª â™ª i woke up this morningwith my mind -- â™ª

come on, help me -- â™ª i woke up this morning withmy mind stayed on freedom. â™ª â™ª hallelu -- hallelu -- â™ª-- come on up here, tyrese! â™ª hallelujah! â™ª â™ª while i'm walking andtalking, well, my mind, â™ª â™ª it was stayed on freedom. â™ª â™ª walking and talking withmy mind stayed on freedom. â™ª â™ª hallelu, hallelu,hallelujah! â™ª now, 50 years ago,when we came here,

we came from a battle. we came from a battlein birmingham. but that was justa few months before. before martin luther king camethrough to speak of his dream, he had been throughbombings, jailings, beatings. he had been snatched from hisjailhouse cell in dekalb county and put in chains and taken downto reidsville penitentiary in the middle of the night and thought it was goingto be his last night on earth.

he went through the battlesof albany and birmingham and came out victorious. but we knew that thefight was just beginning. and we knew that we hada long, long way to go, and this was just the start. now, he came here representingthe southern christian leadership conference, sayingthat we were going to redeem the soul of americafrom the triple evils of racism, war, and poverty.

he came not talking somuch about racism nor war. his speech was about poverty. and he said thatthe constitution was a promissory note to whichall of us would fall heir. but that when menand women of color presented their checkat the bank of justice, it came back marked"insufficient funds." but then he said,he knew that wasn't the end. but 50 years later,

we're still here tryingto cash that bad check. 50 years later,we're still dealing with all kinds of problems. and so, we're not hereto claim any victory. we're here to simply saythat the struggle continues. but a long time ago, when ralphabernathy would stand with him and things would get difficult,ralph would say, "well, i don't know whatthe future may hold. but i know whoholds the future."

and martin would say that themoral arc of the universe is long, but it bendstoward justice. and then he would say, "truth forever on the scaffold,wrong forever on the throne. but the scaffoldweighs the future from behind the dim unknown. standeth godbeneath the shadows, keeping watch above his own." so, i want to sayto you this morning --

i want to say... â™ª i got a feeling, â™ª â™ª everything's goingto be all right. â™ª â™ª i've got a feeling, â™ª â™ª everything's goingto be all right, â™ª â™ª be all right, â™ª â™ª be all right,be all right. â™ª pray on, stay on, and fight on! announcer:please welcomekid president robby novak,

national parks servicedirector jonathan jarvis, and the mayor ofwashington, d.c., vincent gray. robby novak:i wasn't here 50 years ago, but i hope to be inthe next 50 years. we all have a duty to make sure the world keeps dreamingfor better things. keep dreaming, keepdreaming, keep dreaming. jonathan jarvis:in the summer of 1963, the civil rights movementwas reaching its crescendo

and the march on washington became one of itsdefining moments. there are countless photographsof that historic day. one shows a pair ofnational park service rangers standing by dr. king here on thesteps of the lincoln memorial. the image captures a smallmoment in a great event, but it speaks volumesabout the role of the national park service. we are here.

we will always be here as theguardians of the american story. we gather today amidstthe greatest concentration of monuments to american iconsanywhere in the country. jefferson, washington, king, and behind me, lincoln. at each, you will find a familiar nationalpark service arrowhead and the distinctiveranger's flat hat. we are there to welcomevisitors, answer questions,

and take care of thesetreasured places, but also to preserve theamerican stories they represent and the aspirations thatbind us together as a people. the places where the fight forcivil rights was organized and activated are now preservedas national parks across our nation. the site of the firstwomen's rights convention in seneca falls, new york. dr. king's ebenezerbaptist church in atlanta.

the edmund pettus bridgeand the long road from selma to montgomery. the home and office of farmworker advocate cesar chavez. little rock. brown v. board. the power of these places isto inspire each generation to have a dream and the courageto make it a reality. the national park service'sfundamental mission is to keep a promise to the american peoplethat the ideas that shaped us

as a nation, the principleswe strive to uphold, the values we fought and diedfor will be preserved forever. we are very proud of the tworangers who stood on these steps 50 years ago, and theywill forever connect the national park service tothe march on washington. and my promise to you today isthat we will protect these and all the placesentrusted to our care to the highest standardof stewardship. but also, we will use them toinspire the next generation

to create a more perfect union. thank you and welcome. mayor gray:good morning, everyone. on behalf ofthe 632,000 residents of the district of columbia, allow me to welcome youto our nation's capital. 50 years ago today, in his timeless"i have a dream" speech, dr. king borrowed a lyric

from one ofour favorite patriotic songs -- "from every mountainside,let freedom ring." he encouraged americansto let freedom ring, not only from the snow-cappedrockies of colorado and the heighteningalleghenies of pennsylvania, but also from stone mountainof georgia and every hill and molehill of mississippi. there was oneplace that dr. king didn't mention in that speech,

but about which helater spoke of forcefully -- and that wasthe district of columbia. that's because --that's because full freedom and democracy were andare still denied to the people who quite literally live withinthe sight of the capitol dome. our city is hometo more residents than the statesof vermont and wyoming. but we have novoting representative in our own congress.

we pay more than $3.5 billion -- $3.5 billion a yearin federal taxes, but don't even get thefinal say over how we spend our own locally-raised money. and we send our sons and ourdaughters to fight for democracy overseas but don't get topractice it fully here at home. so today, as we rememberthose who gave so much half a century ago to extendthe blessings of liberty to all americans-- i ask, i implore,

i hope that all of youwill stand with me when i say that we must let freedomring from mount st. albans, where risesthe majestic national cathedral. we must let freedom ringfrom the ridges of anacostia, where frederick douglassmade his home. and most of all,we must let freedom ring from capitol hill itself, until all of the residentsof the very seat of our great democracyare truly free.

again, let me welcome youto our nation's capital, the district of columbia. please join hands with usand make every american free, especially those who livein the district of columbia, our nation's capital. thank you all very much! announcer:minister and vocalartist wintley phipps. wintley phipps:let freedom ring. male speaker:amen, what i'm saying.

wintley phipps:let it ring. (music plays) â™ª i believe for everydrop of rain that falls, â™ª â™ª a flower grows. â™ª â™ª i believe that somewherein the darkest night, â™ª â™ª a candle glows. â™ª â™ª i believe for everyonewho goes astray, â™ª â™ª someone will cometo show the way. â™ª â™ª i believe, i believe. â™ª

â™ª i believe above astorm the smallest prayer â™ª â™ª will still be heard. â™ª â™ª i believe that someonein the great somewhere â™ª â™ª hears every word. â™ª â™ª every time i heara newborn baby cry, â™ª â™ª or touch a leaf, â™ª â™ª or see the sky, â™ª â™ª then i knowwhy i believe. â™ª â™ª i believeabove the storm â™ª

â™ª the smallest prayerwill still be heard. â™ª â™ª i believe that someonein that great somewhere â™ª â™ª then i know why i believe. â™ª announcer:please welcome thehonorable angus king, u.s. senator from maine. senator king:50 years ago, americansmarched to this place. they came from the northeast,from the west, from the midwest. and they came from the south. they came by rail.

they came by bus. they came by car. one even roller-skatedhere from chicago. they slept the nightbefore in buses, in cars, on friends' floors,and in churches. 50 years ago this morning,we started in small rivulets of people on the side streetsof this great city. we joined togetherin larger streams moving toward the mainarteries of washington.

then we came together ina mighty river of people down to this place,old, young, black, white, protestant, catholic, and jew. we stoppedat the washington monument and heard peter, paul, and mary sing of the hammer ofjustice and the bell of freedom. 50 years ago, americanscame to this place around a radical idea, an idea at the heartof the american experience.

an idea new tothe world in 1776, tested in 1865, renewed in 1963, and an idea still newand radical today -- all men and womenare created equal. all men and womenare created equal. 50 years ago, at thisplace, at this sacred place, americans sent a message totheir leaders and around the world that the promiseof equality of opportunity,

equality before the law,equality in the right to freely participate in the benefits andresponsibilities of citizenship applied to everyonein this country -- not just the luckyfew of the right color or the accident of birth. this is what martin luther kingmeant when he said his dream was deeply rooted inthe american dream. and the 150 years ago --150 years ago this summer, a mighty battle was foughtnot far from this place.

and this idea, the idea ofequality, the idea of america, hung in the balance. one of the soldierson those hot july days was a young collegeprofessor from maine named joshua lawrence chamberlain. and returning to the battlefieldat gettysburg many years later, he expressed thepower of the place where such momentousdeeds were done. here is what he said.

here is what joshuachamberlain said. "in great deeds,something abides. on great fields,something stays. forms changed andpast bodies disappear, but spirits lingerto consecrate the ground for the vision a place of souls. generations that know usnot and that we know not of, heart drawn to see where and bywhom great things were suffered and done for them, shallcome to this deathless field,

to this deathless placeto ponder and dream. and 'lo, the shadow of a mightypresence will wrap them in its bosom and the powerof the vision shall pass into their souls." fifty years ago today thisplace was a battlefield. no shots were fired. no cannons roared,but a battlefield nonetheless, a battlefield of ideas, the ideas thatdefine us as a nation.

as it was oncesaid of churchill, martin luther king on that daymobilized the english language and marched it into war. and in the process caughtthe conscience of a nation. and here today, on thesesteps, 50 years on, indeed, something abidesand the power of the vision has surely passedinto our souls. announcer:please welcome the mayorof hattiesburg, mississippi, and secretary of the nationalcouncil of black mayors,

johnny dupree. mayor dupree:i want to thank the nationalconference of black mayors and the coalitionfor the opportunity to make a few remarkson this historic occasion. you know, decades and decadesago, blood, sweat, tears, organizing meetings,sit-ins, jail-ins, boycotts, negotiations, and adjudications all culminatedin a march 50 years ago, a march that wouldchange the lives

of millions of people,including myself. if someone would have told methat this will cut you, boy, who grew up in a shotgunhouse on a dirt road in hattiesburg, mississippi, would become a mayor, i would have totallyhave fell off a truck. our house and my cousin'shouse was next door, next door to each other. and so we called thathouse a shotgun house.

some of you all know -maybe had the opportunity to take a bath in a number 3tin tub, well, i did that. many of you all who are inmy generation remember that. i tell you that becausethat's where i come from, playing dodge rocksin the street because my mom couldn'tafford the ball. to become the mayor of the fourth largest cityin mississippi. you know, we've beenentrusted with

making the livesof people better that we serve. our theme is freedom toprosper, freedom to coexist, freedom to govern. african-americanselected officials, and black mayors in particular, must not createways to govern after being elected. you know, at onepoint the struggle was to gain citizenship,

then the registerto vote, then to vote. and for a brief period oftime during reconstruction, african-americansheld elected office. but then jim crowquickly ended that. now one of the challenges beforeafrican-americans, minorities, and women elected to freedomis the freedom to govern. we must do locally whatpresident obama was able to do nationally with organizationslike organizing for america, organizing for action.

we must go back to theindividuals, groups, pastors, who helped get us here, andencourage them to make their voices heard and push ourcollective agendas forward. you know, we are affordedan awesome opportunity to be here today. we have this opportunitybecause of people like martin luther king, who did not quiver or retreatin the face of injustice. it is because of thosewho remain seated

when they were demanded to move. it is because of those who sangwhen they were entrusted or threatened with theirlives to be silent. it is because ofthose who marched on, even though they wereweary and bloody, one foot in front of the otherone, one song after another one, one city until they did whatpeople said couldn't be done. together we must march on,strengthened and encouraged by our past, led by ourfaith, we will march on.

thank you. (music) â™ª how many roads musta man walk down â™ª â™ª before theycall him a man? â™ª â™ª yes, and how many seasmust a white dove sail â™ª â™ª before she sleepsin the sand? â™ª â™ª how many times mustthe cannonballs fly â™ª â™ª before they'reforever banned? â™ª â™ª the answer, my friend,is blowing in the wind, â™ª

â™ª the answer isblowing in the wind. â™ª join us, tracy martin. one more time. â™ª the answer, my friend,is a blowing in the wind, â™ª â™ª the answer is blowingin the wind. â™ª â™ª how many years cana mountain exist â™ª â™ª before it iswashed to the sea? â™ª â™ª how many years cansome people exist â™ª â™ª before they'reallowed to be free? â™ª

â™ª how many times cana man turn his head â™ª â™ª and pretend that hejust doesn't see? â™ª sing it with us. â™ª the answer my friendis blowing in the wind, â™ª â™ª the answer my friendsis blowing in the wind, â™ª â™ª how many times cana man look up â™ª â™ª before he cansee the sky? â™ª â™ª how many earsmust one man have â™ª â™ª before he canhear people cry. â™ª

â™ª how many deathswill it take -- â™ª â™ª mark? â™ª â™ª how many deathswill it take â™ª â™ª mark, too manypeople have died. â™ª â™ª the answer tracy -- â™ª â™ª for the answer my friendsis blowing in the wind, â™ª soledad o'brien:one of the central goalsof the march on washington 50 years ago wasto secure the right to vote. this year the supreme courtstruck down a key provision

of the 1965 voting rights act. our next guestsfully understand the impact ofthe court's decision. i'd like you to join me in welcomingdr. charles steele, jr., president emeritus and ceo of the southernchristian leadership conference, and melanie campbell,president and ceo of the national coalitionof black civic participation.

dr. charles steele, jr.:thank you so much. thank you so much. i'm honored to be here todayon this great occasion. fifty years ago i wasa 17-year-old boy in tuscaloosa, alabama, where my mother and fathertold me something great was getting ready to happen and i couldn't play ballthat particular day. it was a historicalevent she said.

it's going to change notonly america but the world. and then i began to listen todr. king and others as they spoke and particularly,"if i have a dream." and i realized that dr. kingadvocated for poor people. and if dr. king was here today,i would ask him the question, if he was satisfied with therepresentation of poor people and poor folksbeing represented. and i came to the conclusionthat he would be very upset and very disturbed.

he would say that jobs, we don't have anybodylobbying for poor folks and it is because of the lackof people who are concerned about the (unintelligible), people are sufferingand they are hurting. he would say that we muststill hit the streets. we must still demonstrate. it the scrc, the southernchristian leadership conference that god gave us asa vehicle to free us.

now we must go backto ground zero. we must continue to march. we must continue to praybecause through that experience african-americans have foundmodern-thinking folks of all ethnicity and background,the whole world is saying, "teach us mybrothers and sisters. teach us how to get free." well, i must say,freedom ain't free because we still mustfight for freedom.

are you ready to march? audience:yeah. dr. charles steele, jr.:are you ready to go? dr. charles steele, jr.:are you ready todemonstrate? dr. charles steele, jr.:we must head back to thestreets and liberate and free all god's childrenbecause god is love and love is what love does,we must free the people. melanie campbell:today we join elderbernice king in solidarity in her vision of themanifestation of her father's

dream for all americans to havethe freedom to prosper in life, the freedom topeacefully coexist, and the freedom toparticipate in government. today we also pause to thank ourancestors and our forebearers who stood on these steps50 years ago calling for jobs and freedom. tomorrow we take dr. king'sdream and the vision of our elders to the next levelby igniting a new movement for jobs, freedom, peace,and social justice.

as i look at the state ofequality and justice today, we are at a verycritical moment in time. our elders havetaken us this far. now it is time for us tomove forward in the fight for equality and justice. yes, we have made progressover the past 50 years, but we have not arrived. it is time to stepit up and get busy. just as in 1963,there are still those

who are threatened by inclusion. today racism and inequalitydoes not manifest itself in a white sheet, jim crow laws, poll tacticsor barking dogs. but the dogs are stillbiting in other ways. today there areno white sheets, but there are judgesin black robes in a u.s. supreme court who struck down section ivof the voting rights act,

opening the floodgatesin many states to pass more voter id laws to block people of colorand young people from voting, with the goal of ensuring wenever see another black man elected to thepresident, or woman, of the united states of america. so today, as i did on saturday,at the 50th march on washington, i just dropped by to tellyou and just to remind you that it's movement time.

yes, this sister, the daughterof janet campbell and the late issac campbell,jr. from mims, florida, mentored by the late dorothyirene height, james orange, meta jackson, as i take my seati leave you with the words of philip randolph, who taughtus about the power of unity and organizing,organizing, organizing together at the banquet table of nature. there are no reserved seats.

you get what you can take andyou keep what you can hold. if you can't take anything,you won't get anything. and if you can't hold anything,you won't keep anything. and lastly, we didn't make itthis far just by passing laws. we have come this far byfaith, leaning on the lord, trusting in his holy word, we have come this far by faith, leaning on the lord. announcer:joaquin castro,u.s. representative

from the 20thdistrict of texas. joaquin castro:it's an honor tobe here with you today. i come as a son of thegreat state of texas, the home to the presidentwho signed a sweeping and important civilrights legislation in our nation's history. at 38 years old, i alsospeak to you as someone of a grateful generation, grateful for thestruggles and the movements,

and the blood and the tears,and all of the work of the civil rights pioneers whostood here 50 years ago today, and those who marchedin the streets of selma, those who organized peoplein factories and farms, and those who took theirbattles to the courts, like thurgood marshalland gus garcia, those who organized people tovote and exercise our rights, those like willie velasquez. my own parents in the 1960swere very involved in a movement

inspired by martin luther king and the men andwomen who stood here. they were active in the chicanomovement or the latino civil rights movement. and i want to saythank you to them and thank you to all of you. and i also want tomake a promise to you. as somebody of a youngergeneration of americans, i want to promise you that allof the struggles and all of the

fights and all of thework and all of the years that you put into makingour country a better place, to helping our leadersunderstand that freedom and democracy are prerequisitesto opportunity, i want you to know that thisgeneration of americans will not let that dream go, that we willcarry on and make sure that this country lives upto the values and principles for which you fought so hard. thank you very much.

announcer:please welcomehis excellency, perry christie, the prime minister from thecommonwealth of the bahamas. prime minister christie:thanks from thecommonwealth of the bahamas, your closestneighbor to the south. martin luther king, jr. holds avery special place in the hearts and minds of bahamians, notleast because he spent time amongst us, both in nassau andin the tiny island of bimini, where in 1964 whileon a brief vacation, he composed his nobelprize acceptance speech.

on a clear night, the lights ofmetropolitan miami are, in fact, visible from the shores ofbimini dramatizing the closeness between our two nations. we are, after all, lessthan 50 miles apart. but however close that maybe in the literal sense, we are in the geography of thesoul even closer than that. the common tides of historyof ethnicity and culture, of migration, and of acommon heritage of struggle, bind us together notjust as neighbors,

not even only as friends, butas true brothers and sisters. the message i bring toyou today can be briefly stated and it is this. as momentous asthis occasion is, we do a grave injustice toourselves and to all humanity if we leave here unresolved tocarry on the greater noble struggle for which martinluther king, jr. gave his life. the blood of this good manshed in memphis still cries out across the years, cries outto each and every one of us,

wherever we may be, all acrossthe world to stand up for freedom, to stand upfor human dignity, to stand up for equality, tostand up for social justice, to stand up for rightand not for wrong, for peace and not for war,for love and not for hate. it is the timelessnesson universality of the messagethat he proclaimed. and the heroic majesty of hispersonal example that explains why martin luther king, jr.,is as relevant today,

as compelling today,as inspirational today, as he was 50 years ago, whenfrom these very precincts he delivered the orationthat rocked the conscience of america and the world. when he spoke as he didthat day, we somehow knew, we somehow felt, that hismessage was coming from a place that was not only deep withinhimself, but deep within us all. he had awakened to the call ofthat place and was rousing us from our slumber so thatwe could take our own inner

soundings and hear it, too. in so doing, he gave languageto our deepest yearning for a better life. martin luther king'swork remains unfinished. this then must be for all ofus a time not only for renewal, but above all, a profoundlypersonal level in the most authentic way possible, a timefor rededication to the dream that martin luther kingchampioned throughout his life. may the light of the flamecontinue to guide us as we go

forward, each in his ownway, each in his own nation, to continue the workof martin luther king. in that way, andin no other way, we keep his dream aliveand make it our own. announcer:ladies and gentlemen, from the commonwealthof the bahamas, the number one culturalexpression of a proud people, the soul, thespirit of junkanoo. â™ª (festive brassy music) â™ª

announcer:please welcomecivil rights activist and journalistmyrlie evers-williams. myrlie evers-williams:fifty years ago we gatheredin this very same spot. we felt in the words of anothermississippian, fannie lou hamer, i am sick and tired ofbeing sick and tired, and i do believe that that iswhat the crowd some 50 years ago was saying to allof our leaders. dr. king took the helm, andunder his leadership and under those who gave their lives,such as medgar evers and so many

others, said "enough is enough,america, this is our country, all of us, we belong here." and here we are some 50 yearslater assessing what has happened over thisperiod of time, where we are andwhat we must do. for a brief period oftime i think we fell asleep and we said,"we have moved forward and everything is okay." but we know today thateverything is not okay,

that there has been aretrenchment in this country as far as civil rights andequal rights is concerned. we marched, we sat, thetriumphs and even defeats, belong to us all. dr. king told usthat he might not get to the mountaintop with us, but he said that there isa promised land and america is that promised landfor all of us. we are bonded by deep rootsof individuals that inevitably

become a strong groupto be reckoned with in today's world there'semphasize on individuality. how can i reach my top? i'm sure that no matter howstrong any one person may be, they may be strengthened withstrong support from each other, encouragement andguidance for those of us who have walked their path. the movement can no longerafford an individual approach to justice.

ours is an interconnectedstruggle, black, white, male, female, young, old, everyone,we are all entitled to and protected by this countrythat we call home. and at times it is necessarythat we let those who represent us on capitol hill, those whorepresent us in our communities, know that we are a forceto be reckoned with. many of our messengers todaytarget today's youth and our elders and i look specificallyat those in the middle, our new parents, ouryoung professionals,

youthful educators, andcommunity activists. they are young enough to relate,but also established in our community and i ask you,"how will we bridge that gap? what are our next steps?" because this countryin the area of civil rights hascertainly taken a turn backward. am i depressed? no. i am energized to move forwardand to be sure to see that the

gains that we have encounteredand had come to us that we have worked so hardfor, are not lost. so i do ask you, "whatare our next steps?" we created a framework butthere's still so much work left to be done. many of our civilrights leaders, including my husband anddr. martin luther king, was still of an agewhen they took the lead. with that question in mind,

i challenge you to getback to community-building. it is your problem. it is our problem. it is our neighborhood. these are our children. you are the parents. but in that same breath, the victory will bea collective one. it is with a clear conscience,knowing what we've done

and can do, that we willreach that mountaintop and we will overcome. but it will take each and everyone of us in unity, in unison, letting those who say that theymanage this country of america, know that it's the people,it's the voice and the actions of the people that say,"we must overcome," and will eventually say, "we have overcome becauseof the involvement of each and every one."

that is our challenge today. let us move forth and do what wemust do remembering freedom is not free,we must work for it. hill harper:peaceful coexistencewas a hallmark of dr. king's teachings. he once said, "we mustlearn to live together as brothers or perish as fools." welcome the reverendkristin stoneking, executive director of thefellowship of reconciliation

and mee moua, presidentand executive director of asian-americansadvancing justice. mee moua:i bring you greetings from thefellowship of reconciliation, working since 1915to secure a world of justice and freedomthrough non-violence. today, 50 years afterthe march on washington, i pay tribute tothe visionary organizer of the originalmarch, bayard rustin. as a fellow of reconciliationstaff director,

rustin co-founded the congressof racial equality and organized the first freedom ride in 1947. an african-americangay man, rustin was a quaker. his life commitment tonon-violence as a spiritual discipline exemplifiesthat pacifism is anything but passive. he refused to accept war bydenying society's expectation that he be straight. he refused to be at warwith another nation by being

imprisoned as a conscientiousobjector during world war ii, and he refused to be at warwith humanity by not accepting diminishment ordivision based on race. in every situation rustinrejected violence, conflict, and strife, andinstead chose peace. he and reverend jameslawson, another four-staffer, are credited with convincingreverend dr. king early on that non-violence had to bethe path to freedom. and so, on this day how can wepay tribute to their legacy

of non-violence and peace, todr. king's refusal to see another as enemy, as weare poised to attack syria, rustin and king showedus over and over that racism, militarism,and economic exploitation are inextricably linked. and so, on behalf of allpeople of conscience, i call on our leaders todo all in our power to resist the siren song of militarismand embrace the way of rustin, the way of king, the wayof non-violence and peace.

i was born in a thatched roofhut in the jungles of laos where there was no runningwater or electricity. my father was amedic working with usaid during the secret war in laos. and when the wars endedin southeast asia, we were forced to flee our homeand became political refugees. thanks to president carterand vice president mondale, my family was resettledin the united states. only in the america of dr.king's dream is it possible

for someone like me tostand before you today. i think dr. king would beproud, in fact, so very proud, dr. bernice king, that you haveinvited me and the communities that i represent, the asianand pacific islander american community, to take part inthis commemorative celebration, for i believe that whiledr. king's conversation with america speaks to and stillrings true today about the creative sufferingsof black america, his dream is inclusive of allamerica and his call to action

invites each america,asian-america, black-america, hispano-latino-america,native america, glbtq-america, white-america and men and womenof america to take inspiration from our own circumstancesand to know that the price of freedom is the commitment toensuring that the security - to ensuring the security ofliberty and justice for all. hill harper:please welcome governormartin o'malley. governor o'malley:the work ofjustice is urgent. it is real and it is needed.

let there be no comfort in ourcountry for the bigotry of cold indifference, for there arestill too many lives in america taken from us by violence, stilltoo many children in america who go to bed hungry,who go to school hungry, still too much apathy when thelives of people of color are too often valued less thanthe lives of white people. and so the responsibility weconsecrate today is not rooted in nostalgia or memory, it isrooted in something far deeper. it is rooted in the callingof conscience to action,

actions that protect everyindividual's right to vote, action that safeguards and keepsguns out of the hands of violent offenders, action that makesquality education and the opportunity of college areality for more families, action that protects the dignityof every child's home with civil marriage equality, action thatstrengthens our country with the hopes and dreams and hard workof our newest generation of new america emigrants, action thatabolishes the death penalty and improves public safety in everyneighborhood regardless of

income or color, action thatcreates jobs and raises the minimum wage for every mom anddad that's willing to work hard and play by the rules. yes, thanks to dr. king, america's best daysare still ahead of us. love remains the strongestpower in our country. forward we shallwalk hand in hand. and in this great workwe are not afraid. hill harper:ladies and gentleman,

grammy-nominated and five-timegma award winning female vocalist of theyear, natalie grant. natalie grant:â™ª i love the lord. â™ª â™ª he heard my cry, â™ª â™ª and (unintelligible). â™ª â™ª long as i live â™ª â™ª and troubles rise â™ª â™ª i will hasten to you. â™ª â™ª i'm going to runto his throne. â™ª

â™ª oh, i love the lord. â™ª â™ª i really dolove the lord. â™ª â™ª yes, he did. â™ª â™ª and (unintelligible). â™ª â™ª and troubles rise, â™ª â™ª i'll hasten to you. â™ª â™ª when life gets me down â™ª â™ª i'm going to getmyself to jesus. â™ª â™ª when troubles come my way â™ª

â™ª he's the answer. â™ª â™ª he's the only answer. â™ª â™ª if life gets you down â™ª â™ª press in to jesus,press in to jesus. â™ª â™ª he's the way,the truth, the life. â™ª â™ª nobody loves me life jesus. â™ª â™ª i love the lord â™ª â™ª and i will hastento his throne. â™ª hill harper:please welcome the chairof the american association

of people withdisabilities, fred maahs. fred maahs:i am humbled to be herewith all of you today. i am a proud americanwith a disability. i want to first thankthe president for 503, which will givethousands of jobs to people with disabilities. thirty-three years ago, just a few daysbefore starting college, i dove from a boatand hit a sandbar

in a foot of water. i broke my neck and wasparalyzed from the chest down. in that instant,my life and the lives of my family changed forever. i spent seven months in thehospital undergoing intense physical therapy learninghow to be independent. but when i left the hospitalto begin my new life, college remained out of reach. the campus was not accessible.

i thought that thedoors to fulfilling life had slammed shut. it was 10 years before theamericans with disabilities act. i was unable to accessmost public buildings. i was banned from mostpublic swimming pools. i was told there were nojobs for people like me. heck, i couldn'teven get on a bus. it was rare to see a personlike me in the community. we were referred to as shut-ins.

fortunately, widener universityin delaware was welcoming. i helped adapt the campusto make it more accessible, and i was the first chairuser to attend and graduate. i found employment and workedmy way through college. my first job was in atwo-story building, and yes, my office was onthe second floor. so every day i wascarried, chair and all, to the -- up thestairs to get to work. in the years since my accident,i have dedicated my life to

expanding equal opportunityfor all americans. today, i do this as chairof the american association of people with disabilities,the nation's largest disability'srights organization. i also do this in my role as vice president ofthe comcast foundation. today, we need your help topass the disability treaty. the treaty will expand thespirit of the americans with disabilities actacross the globe,

level the playing field foru.s. businesses working abroad, and increase access for u.s.citizens travelling overseas. we will never know how many,but i can say with certainty: there were people who wantedto join the march on washington 50 years ago butcouldn't because participating was either too difficultor simply impossible for people like me. there was just no access. looking back,i think it's fair to say

that martin luther king, jr. was the father ofour movement as well. dr. king had a dream:he had a dream about equality and dignity for all people. yet for millions ofpeople with disabilities, this dream remains out of reach. eight in 10 of usdon't have jobs. most will never knowwhat it means to work, even if we are ready,willing, and qualified.

it remains legal to pay peoplewith disabilities far less than minimum wage inthe united states. today, i share dr. king's dream. i dream of a world thatdoes not hold anyone back. people with disabilitiesrepresent all people in all situations. we represent nearly 20 percentof the u.s. population. we've seen a lot of progress, but like allcivil rights movements,

we have much more to do. i call on everyone here todayto continue to stand up for and defend the rights ofpeople with disabilities. americans are guaranteed certaininalienable rights and the right to pursue our dreams. our duty as citizens is to help one anotherachieve those dreams. please go to aapd.com/marchand see what we can do together when we dream together.

soledad o'brien:in 1963, dr. kingcalled on america to make good on its promiseof opportunity, and freedom, and justice for all. fifty years later, thestruggle for jobs, justice, and freedom continues. please welcome the naacpboard chair, roslyn brock, and president and ceo ofthe naacp ben jealous. roslyn brock:good morning. the march on washington forjobs and freedom 50 years ago

was a march for equalityand opportunity. while we commemorate the marchtoday where the drum major shared his dream, we of thenaacp acknowledge that our organizing days are not over;they are beginning anew. naacpers did not come towashington 50 years ago to simply march, hold upsigns, and go home. the power and depth of theirwitness is magnified by the fact that they returned home andorganized believing that we are one nation, indivisible, withliberty and justice for all.

in a 1966 speech to the medicalcommittee for human rights, dr. king said, "of allthe forms of inequality, injustice in health care is themost shocking and inhumane." freedom for all americansto access affordable, quality healthcare is one ofthe most pressing civil rights issues for this generation. the supreme court hasissued its decision; the people have spoken. the affordable care actis the law of the land.

our communities havethe opportunity, starting october 1st, to enroll in a new healthcareinsurance marketplace. we must ensure, my friends,that all americans are aware that we can now change the faceof health in this nation. opponents of fairnessresist our noble cause. however, we are determined inour hearts and declare the world that when it comes tohealth equity and access, courage will notskip this generation.

ben jealous:fired up. audience:let's go. ben jealous:come on. fired up. ben jealous:ladies and gentleman, as we stand here 50 yearsafter the march on washington, let us remember that dr. king'slast march was never finished. the poor people's campaignwas never finished. some 50 years after themarch of washington,

while fewer people as apercentage in our country are poor, more as a numberin our country are poor. and while theladder of opportunity extends to the heavensfor our people today, more are tethered at the bottomand falling off every day. indeed, one could say thatthe distance between a child's aspiration represented by thetop of that ladder and a family situation at the bottom of thatladder is the exact measurement of that parent'slevel of frustration.

and so, as we go hometoday, let us remember that the dreamerwas also a doer. and as we turn on our t.vstomorrow and see people walking out of placeswhere they're being forced to survive on $7.25, by the thousands, let uscommit to join them in fighting to lift up the bottom. because as the top ofthat ladder has extended, the tethers at thebottom must be unleashed.

let us not be dreamers this day,let us recommit to be doers. thank you, and god bless. hill harper:from destiny church,new zealand, please welcome a performance bya traditional maori haka team. â™ª (droning woodwind music) â™ª (all shouting) male speaker:civil rights leader,reverend joseph lowery. joseph lowery:thank you very much. joseph lowery:i can't hear you.

joseph lowery:now i hear you. i'm thankful today for anation that, after 50 years, is committed to be a nation ofliberty and justice for all and that we hold in the deepestreverence the principle of freedom and justice for all. i'm thankful today that we havea president who understands what martin luther kingmeant when he said, "we must rise up from thebasement of race and color to the higher ground ofcontent of character."

i'm glad we have a president whojoins with martin luther king in calling upon this nation to riseup and leave the basement of race and colorand come to the higher ground of content of character. we join in prayerfor a nation -- for our nationthat, strangely enough, continues to seek to denyrights and restrict freedom in the right to vote. we come today,50 years later.

it's even stranger that thereare men in forces who still seek to restrict our vote anddeny our full participation. well, we come here to washingtonto say, "we ain't going back." "we ain't going back. we've come too far, marchedtoo long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly,bled too profusely, and died too youngto let anybody turn back that clock onour journey to justice." thank you for the privilege ofsharing these moments with you.

i see a man walk out on thestage signaling my time is up. god bless you and god keep you. hang in there. audience:ready to go. joseph lowery:fired up. joseph lowery:ready to go. god bless you. hill harper:dr. king's dream wasfor a brighter future, a future where everyone was freeto prosper and live in harmony.

joining us now are two championsof a better life for all. welcome the chairperson ofthe captain planet foundation, laura turner, and the executivedirector of the gay, lesbian, and straight educationnetwork, dr. eliza bayard. laura turner:as we stand here todayunited on this historic anniversary, i am reflecting onthe courage that thousands of people showed by puttingtheir lives and the lives of their families inharm's way as they fought for civil and human rights.

i am thankful to my friend,reverend dr. bernice king and the king familyfor inviting me here. and i am thankful for themcontinuing on that path, that (unintelligible) path,to freedom and justice for all in the united statesand around the world. i am not only here tocommemorate this auspicious occasion, but to speak aboutanother form of injustice. we are degradingthe lives of our children and the health of our planet.

no one knows this betterthan my congressman and hero, reverend john lewis. he is not only a fiercecivil rights activist, but he's also a staunchenvironmental champion. he has said that theenvironmental movement is an extension ofcivil and human rights. and that is because the leastof these and our children everywhere are the mostimpacted -- adversely impacted, disproportionately impacted.

there is no justice in a worldwhere powerful people and corporationscan affect the lives of every man, woman, and child. one of the themes todayis the freedom to prosper. but our children cannot prosperif we continue to destroy the natural systems thatsupport all of our lives. our children cannot prosper whenthey are sickened from exposure to a toxic cocktail of chemicalsthat are unregulated and untested in the air theybreathe, the water they drink,

the food they eat, and theproducts that they use. and our children and theirchildren cannot prosper when they face a future of recordtemperatures, rising seas, and extreme weather. unless we work together, we willbe handing our children problems that they cannot solveand time is running out. we have a moral mandate toprotect and to preserve our children's health, qualityof life, and their future. and we have a moralmandate to be good stewards

of all the blessingsgod has given to us. now think about it: millionsof people around the world will be ringing their bells. and i say, let's ring our bellfor clean water, clean air, healthy children, environmentaljustice, and freedom. eliza bayard:fifty years ago, bayardrustin stood on this stage leading the vast crowd,reciting the demands of the march on washington. a movement spoke throughhim but the world

would not embracehim because he was gay. today, lgbt voicesare welcome to this stage and president obamahas awarded bayard rustin the presidentialmedal of freedom. but we have not yet seendr. king's great vaults of opportunity thrownopen to everyone. we have so far to go beforea truly great education is offered to every child. glsen and our communityare partners in this fight.

we fight for millionsof lgbt students and all those seen as different. they deserve a welcomingaudience for their dreams and they deserve to beembraced for who they are. yet, every day ouryouth endure the silence imposed by violence and fear. some have been silenced forever. and we raise ourvoices in their memory. sequia gunn, gwen aroffo,carl joseph walker hoover,

lawrence king. bayard rustin was a quaker. he attended meeting each weeklistening for that voice of the divine that can speakthrough any one of us. across this nation, voices areready to rise for opportunity, and justice, and freedom forevery young person no matter who they are, what they looklike, or who they love. listen for those voices. lift them up sothey can be heard.

when we do that,we shall all rise. thank you for the great honorof standing with you today. hill harper:ladies and gentlemen, five-time nba most valuableplayer, bill russell. bill russell:good afternoon. it's nice to be here. i was sitting in the first row50 years ago and it's nice to be in here 50 years later. (laughter)

fifty years ago, thenight before the march, i met dr. king and -- one of thegreatest experiences of my life. and he invited me to be up here. and i respectfully declinedbecause the organizers had worked for yearsto get this together and i hadn't done anything. so i wanted to continue my lifeas an interested bystander. now, lately i'veheard a lot about how far we've come in 50 years.

but from my point-of-view,you only register progress by how far you have to go. and so -- (aircraft noise) i didn't have anythingto say anyway. but i'm here to joinyou and to implore you, the fight had just begun. and we can never accept thestatus quo until the word "progress," is takenout of our vocabulary.

and so, i thank you for beinghere and to encourage you, young and old, men and women,to understand that progress can only be measured byhow far we have to go. so, i want to thank you forletting me speak to you and to encourage you, as we used tosay in the projects, keep on keeping on. soledad o'brien:dr. martin luther kingbelieved in the power of organized laborto help fight poverty.

"the labor movement,"dr. king said, "was the principle force thattransformed misery and despair into hope and progress." so please welcome two die-hardchampions of american workers. clayola brown is thepresident of the a. philip randolph institute, and lee saundersis the president of the afl-cio. clayolabrown: in 1963, asa philiprandolph's opening remarks were, "we here today areonly the first wave.

when we leave itwill be to carry on the civil rightsrevolution back home, into every nook and everycranny of this land." hello, freedom family. i'm clayola brown,the president of thea. philip randolph institute. here we are 50 yearslater, the second wave, standing ready to carryon the revolution, standing ready to fightfor jobs and for freedom,

standing ready to advance thestruggle for shared prosperity and equality for allof god's children. this is our charge. dr. king said, "human progress is neitherautomatic nor inevitable. every step towards the goalof justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle." and i know you haveheard it before, but i'm going to say it againbecause it comes from our

founder, asa philip randolph,that at banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. and you can't take anythingwithout organization. we must organize, we mustorganize, we must organize. lee saunders:good afternoon. i'm so proud to represent the1.6 million members of the american federationof state, county, and municipal employees, afscme. public service workers whoselabor touches communities

throughout this nation. you know, afscme stood withdr. king in 1963 when he called on america tobe true to its principles. and 5 years later, dr. kingstood with afscme when the sanitation workers of local1733 demanded justice, dignity, and respect. the journey for civilrights, workers' rights, and economic rights began almost from themoment america was born.

it gained new momentum onthese steps 50 years ago. and it advances wheneverthe disenfranchised and disillusioned stand up, fightback, and march forward. because our struggle continues,we come to this memorial not only to commemorate the past,but to shape the future. we have the power to carrythe determination, the hope, and passion of the marchon washington forward. we must also have the courage. in the nameof dr. king, a. philip randolph,

bayard rustin,dorothy height, ella baker, and congressman john lewis, onbehalf of those whose names will never be name, we must recommitto the struggle as stewards of a nation that belongsto the rich and the poor, to the ceo and thesanitation worker, those with and those without. we have the responsibilityto build on the legacy that has been left to us all. we must protect the mostfundamental rights we have:

the right to vote. we must ensure that workers'voices will never be silenced. we must fight for goodjobs and decent pay. and we must become a just andfair society of our ideals. above all -- above all, wemust uphold the principal that everyone who contributes to theprosperity of this nation should share in the prosperityof our nation. hill harper:please welcome theu.s. representative from maryland's4th district,

the honorable donna edwards. donna edwards:on behalf of themembers of congress -- i represent maryland's 4thcongressional district. as the first african-americanwoman to represent maryland in the house of representatives,and on behalf of my sisters in congress, i'm proud to standhere with you today on the shoulders of women -- courageouswomen like fannie lou hamer, and dorothy height, andvivian malone, and rosa parks, and so many others, i'm proudto stand on the shoulders of our

domestic workers and to bewrapped in the arms of three poor little girls ina birmingham church, and a chicago teenager onvacation in mississippi. it's a new day 50 yearslater and a better day, but the day is not over. today's struggle for civilrights, social justice, and economic opportunity demandour engagement and our voice. to realize fully the dream wemust both raise our voices and take action.

we must lift our voices tochallenge government in our community and ourneighbors to be better. we must lift our voices forwages that enable families to take care of themselves, for ahealthcare system that erases disparity, for communitiesand homes without violence, for clean air and water toprotect our environment for future generations, andfor a just justice system. we must lift our voicefor the value of our vote and have our votes countedwithout interference.

as we stand here today,dr. king would know, and my dear colleague john lewiscertainly does know that today is not just a commemorationor a celebration, it's a call to action for thework that remains undone and the communitiesthat remain unchanged. our foremothers andforefathers 50 years ago, they closed the bookon the last century. well, when the book closeson the 21st century in civil rights, which chapterwill you have written?

what fight will you have foughtin the halls of congress or in the town hallsof your community? for men and women, black andwhite, latino and asian, muslim, christian, and jew,gay and straight, i hope this book includes you. we need you to act. the final chaptermust include your voice to achieve dr. king's dream. they cannot bewritten without you.

hill harper:please welcome the ceo ofbend the arc, alan van capelle. alan van capelle:fifty years ago, a rabbi shared these steps withdr. king and began his remarks by saying, "i speak toyou as an american jew." my name is alan van capelleand i speak to you today as an american jew. i represent the jewish civilrights group, bend the arc, and the more than 30organizations that collectively make up the jewish socialjustice round table.

the vision dr. king offeredus 50 years ago wasn't only a dream, it wasa call for equality, but it was also ademand for justice. we may be closer to legalequality, but we are far, far, far from justice. we are far from justice whenyoung black men can be stopped, frisked, and disrespected onthe streets of new york city. we are far from justice whenstudents carry the burden alone. we are far from justice

when 11 million immigrantswork every single day without protections anda pathway to citizenship. and we far from justicewhen a gay, lesbian, or transgender person can befired from their job simply because of who they are. we are from justicewhen we accept the fact that the rich are getting richer and the poor keepgetting poorer. and when we go tobed each night allowing

any american childto go to bed hungry. yes, the moral arc of theuniverse is long and it does in fact bend towards justice. but it doesn't bend on its own,it bends because of people like bayard rustin,and andrew goodman, and james cheney, and mickey schwerner. it bends because of you andme; we make the arc bend. and for many of us, it'snot bending fast enough.

every year we recall how mosesled his people out of slavery into the promise land,but the desert came first; jews believe the onlyway to the promise land is through the desert. there is no way to get fromhere to there without marching and organizing together. so as i look out onthis mall with people so diverse, so passioned, so bondedtogether by shared values,

i have hope todaythat we will, in fact, know that the edgeof our desert is near and that the promiseland is in sight. hill harper:how's everybody doing out there? we're not going tolet the rain stop us. in communities all acrossthis nation there are people who are suffering and in need. and dr. king once said, "life'smost persistent question and urgent question is,

'what are youdoing for others?'" joining us now are twoadvocates of civil engagement. please welcome the chair of thenational council of negro women, ingrid saunders jones,and a great brother, who happens to be the generalpresident of the greatest fraternity in the world, afraternity that has members such as jesse owens,thurgood marshall, dr. martin luther king,jr., and hill harper. mark tillman, general president

ofalpha phi alpha fraternity, inc. ingrid saunders jones:good afternoon. the national councilof negro women, led by dorothy irene height,was very much involved in the historicmarch on washington. it is an honor for me to be hereto represent the thousands of ncnw affiliatesections and members, and all of the other women whoparticipated in that march. dr. height worked closelywith the leaders of the big 6.

that was the day that dr. kingtold us of his dream for his children and forall of our children. what we can be sure of is thatdr. king was focused on the nation's foundation, our questto form a more perfect union. at our birth, america wasa nation of people actively involved in creating a placeof freedom and democracy. the principles expressedin the preamble, those simple but powerful words,are the same principles which undergird the quest for civil,human, and gender rights.

america is distinguished byits commitment to democracy, a democracy whose coreingredients include: justice, peace, well-being, equality. our quest for a perfectmodel of democracy, that more perfect union,if you will, continues. our personal civicresponsibility and engagement will determine how wellour democracy will work. so we come together today justas was done 50 years ago to remind us of the need to befully aware of and actively

engaged in our communities andour government at every level. remember the children of the60s movement led us to today and are our leaders today. i am sure that we have seen andwill hear from the children who will be theleaders of tomorrow. mark tillman:good afternoon. i'm honored, humbled,and quite frankly, awe-struck to be standing onsacred soil where 50 years ago people came on buses, by cars,and some even walked

to be a part ofthis historic event, with a unity unseen before inthe fight for civil rights. but on this day, we areprogressing with a mandate that was so eloquentlysaid for america. we are wrapped in the legacyof great individuals that recognized we cannotafford generations becoming ill-prepared to riseabove individual concerns, ill-prepared to live withunderstanding and goodwill, and that the meaning of standyour ground does not get you

buried under the ground. and we are here to honor a manthat anchored this movement, who dared to dream the rightsof all men and women are equal, who defied untold practicesthat were discriminatory and inhumane, and who mobilized thenation to believe their actions would eventuallybring a better life. dr. martin luther king, jr. was a proud member ofalpha phi alpha fraternity, inc. and we are proudto have led the initiative

to build amemorial in his honor. on this historic occasion, wehonor my fraternity brother who stands at the nation's capitalon hallowed ground with presidents of this country,forever remaining watchful and guarding the halls of democracy. commemorating the march onwashington for jobs and freedom underscores our collectivestrength, influence, and unity. america have never -- americamay have progressed with the election of a black presidentand may soon follow with the

election of a female president,but we must not be distracted by the burning realization that ourjourney is still charging and that race and class stillhave a great distance to go. all of us of -- thebeneficiaries (inaudible) to show our childrenthey can dream with confidence and realize their most ambitioushopes and aspirations. let's continue to marchfor their freedom. hill harper:ladies and gentleman,delores huerta. delores huerta:we're being blessedwith the rain,

yes we are. you know, we're here tocelebrate all of the wonderful benefits that we all receivedfrom the civil rights movement and the chicano movement. we honor the sacrifices and thelives of those that gave their life so that we couldhave these benefits. we want to honor coretta scottking for all of the work that she did to get that martinluther king holiday -- the national holiday.

we want to honor yolanda kingfor all that she did on behalf of women and children,to stop abuses of both. but, you know, dr. kingsaid on this very stage, "go back to your communities. go back to the south. go back to the north." and i'm saying,also to the west. because we've got to continue toorganize to fulfill that dream. because -- you know what?

if we don't do it, it'snot going to happen. the only way that discriminationis going to end against women of -- people of color,against women, against our lgbtcommunity, is if we do it. which meansthat we got to outreach to those that are not with us. we've got to educate them. we've got to mobilize them. we've got to motivate them.

that's the onlyway it can happen. so i'm going to ask all ofyou, who's got the power? audience:we do. delores huerta:let's say itloud and clear. we've got the power. i'm going to tell you,who's got the power? i want you to say,"we've got the power." who's got the power? audience:we've got the power.

delores huerta:and i'm going to say,what kind of power? i want you to say,"people power." what kind of power? audience:people power. delores huerta:all right. so we can do it,yes we can, si se puede. let's all say this all together,yes we can, si se puede. put your hands up,everybody, like this. we're going to allclap together and in spanish

we're going to say,"si se puede," which means, yes, we can. let's do it. audience:si se puede. si se puede. (microphone silenced) announcer:please welcome leann rimes. leann rimes:amazing grace,how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

i once was lost,but now i'm found, i was blind,but now i see. when we've been thereten thousand years, bright shiningas the sun, we've no less daysto sing god's praise than whenwe first begun. amazing grace,oh how sweet the sound that saveda wretch like me. hill harper:one more timefor leann rimes.

you know, we've madeconsiderable progress in the last 50 years. but many of the problems thatplague our communities back then still challenge us today. here to tell us wherewe go from here is a man who i've a greatdeal of respect for, the president and ceoof the national urban league, marc morial. marc morial:good afternoon,fellow americans.

i stand today on the shouldersof martin luther king, whitney young, john lewis,a. philip randolph, and the many greaterleaders of 1963, who sacrificed, who marched,who demonstrated courage and bravery in theface of attacks so that we can be here today. i stand as a representative ofthe next generation that has had the opportunity to walkinto corporate board rooms, walk into city halls and countyhalls, into halls of justice,

into the justicedepartment, and, yes, into 1600 pennsylvania avenue,solely because of the sacrifices and the bravery of thosewhose names we remember and those we don't. i stand here today to call onthis great and mighty nation to wake up, wake up to unfairlegality parading as morality; wake up to insensitivityto the poor massed, massed this fiscal austerity;wake up to politics without a positive purpose.

it is time, america, to wake up. fifty years ago, thatsleeping giant was awakened. but somewhere alongthe way, we dozed. we've been quelled by thelullaby of false prosperity and the mirage ofeconomic equality. we fell into a slumber. somewhere along the way,white sheets were traded for buttoned down white shirts. attack dogs and water hoseswere traded for tasers

and widespread implementationof stop-and-frisk policies. nooses were tradedfor handcuffs. somewhere along the way, wegained new enemies: cynicism and complacency; murders from urbanamerica to suburban america; the pursuit of powerfor power's sake. we stand here today tosay it is time to wake up. so here in 2013, westand before the statue of the great emancipator. we look towards the statueof the great liberator.

we say we have come to wake upa new civil rights movement for economic justice; a newcivil rights movement for freedom in these days; a newcivil rights movement for jobs; a new civil rights movementfor men, for women, for children of all backgrounds,all races, all dispositions, all orientations, all cities,all counties, all towns, all across america. america, it is timefor us to wake up. the 21st century agenda for jobsand freedom comes alive today.

we stand on the shoulders ofthe great men and women of yesterday, and we affirmthis new commitment for today and tomorrow. god, thank you. and god bless this great nation. marcia fudge:good afternoon. i am marcia fudge, the chair ofthe congressional black caucus. and i am the chair of thecongressional black caucus because dr. martin lutherking acted upon his dream.

dr. king was not just a dreamerbut the voice of a movement. in 1963, there were five members of the congressionalblack caucus. today there are 44 africanamerican members in congress. dr. king dreamed of an americawhere every individual, no matter theirrace, nationality, or socio-economic background,would have the opportunity to achieve dreams of their own. his dream was a call to action.

dr. king advocated for anamerica where everyone would be afforded their inalienablerights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;a nation where there would be equal protection under thelaw; and a country where every person's right tovote is protected. he dreamed of an america whereevery child has access to quality schools and an educationthat prepares them for their future. and he dreamed thatwe, as a nation,

would walk together on theswift path towards justice. now it's up to us, the congressof the united states of america, to work together to pass a jobsbill that ensures decent jobs for all of our citizens. now it is up to us to ensurethat we have a criminal justice system that does not valueone life more than another. now it is up to us to makesure that no child goes hungry, to school or to bed. in dr. king's words, "we cannotand we must not be satisfied

with anything less." it is our time to make dr.king's dream our reality. dr. king said that 1963 wasnot an end but a new beginning. let us make today the startof a new chapter in the history of this country. and let us march forwardtowards justice together. mary kay henry:brothers and sisters, the members of the serviceemployees international union are proud to join the freedomfighters across this country

and insisting onthe three freedoms that are on the backof your program. and in the spirit of the civilrights economic leadership whose shoulders we stand, i want youto join me in repeating the pledges of the freedoms we arecommitting ourselves here today: the freedom toparticipate in government; the freedom toprosper in life; the freedom topeacefully coexist. our members are proud tojoin with working people,

faith leaders, community leadersall across this country in joining our hands ina renewed commitment to bending the arctowards justice, and continuing the struggleto achieve racial equality and economic equalityfor all by delivering on the promise of theaffordable care act, by insisting that we prevail inwinning common sense immigration reform now, and by joiningtogether to create good jobs by supporting workersall across this country,

who have the guts tostand up, join together, and demand a living wagefrom their employers. the fight continues. we want to work for a justsociety where all work is valued; every humanbeing is respected; where every family and communitycan thrive; and where we, brothers and sisters, jointogether in pursuing the freedom to have a better and more equalsociety for the next generation. announcer:please welcome actorand singer jamie foxx.

jamie foxx:how we doing? make some noise for 50 years. right now, let'smake some noise. listen, i don't have much time. i'm here to celebrate whatdr. king did 50 years. i'm not even probably goingto read from the teleprompter because i'm just goingto speak from my heart. i'm going to tell you right nowthat everybody my age and all the entertainers, it's timefor us to stand up now

and renew this dream. that's what we got to do. i was affected by thetrayvon martin situation. i was affected by newtown. i was affected by sandy hook. i'm affected by those things, so it's time for us,now, to pick up. harry belafonte saw meat the image awards, and he asked me whatam i willing to do.

he took it a step further. and we went to dinner. and my daughter, who's 19years old -- i said, "listen, if you want to get inspired,come listen to this man speak." when i sat with mr. belafonte,he asked my daughter, "how old are you? and my daughter said, "19." and i said, "mr. belafonte,what were you doing at 19?" he said, "i was cominghome from world war ii.

and when i got back to america,i wasn't allowed to vote. so i love my country. i love america. but i realized that ihad more work to do. so myself, al, jessie,and martin, we marched." and i said, "wait a minute, man. you sound like younaming a boy band group. what do you mean? who are these guys' names?"

and he looked at my daughter andhe said, "martin luther king. have you heard of him?" and we sat there and we cried. what we need to do now is theyoung folks pick it up now so that when we're 87 years oldtalking to the other young folks, we could say it wasme, will smith, jay-z, kanye, alicia keys, kerry washington. the list goes on and on. don't make me startpreaching up here.

last but not least, i haveto recognize mr. barry gordy. and not only that -- notonly did harry belafonte bail martin luther king out ofjail so that he could march, he also paid for all ofcoretta scott king's bills as long as she wason this planet. young folks, let's havesome respect to our elders. that's the first thing. last thing is this. and i'm out.

i know they tellingme to get out of here. we have to salutemr. barry gordy because mr. barry gordy putdr. king's speech on an album and put it out onmotown records. and then after he did that, he turned around and gavethose reels and those tapes back to the king family. do not forget 50 years. i'm out.

hill harper:jamie foxx,ladies and gentlemen. you all, please help me welcomeone of our true heroes: a man who needs no introduction,a man who's going to fire us up, a man who is the president ofthe national action network -- the reverend al sharpton. al sharpton:fifty years ago, whenthey came to washington, it was not for an event. it was in themiddle of struggles. it was in the middle of battlesto break down the walls

of apartheid in america. and dr. king and thosethat fought with him, they fought andthey beat jim crow. we come today to not onlycelebrate and commemorate, but we come as thechildren of dr. king, to say that we are going toface jim crow's children, because jim crow had a soncalled james crow jr. esquire. he writes voting suppressionlaws and puts it in language that looks different, butthe results are the same.

they come with laws that tellpeople to stand at ground. they come with laws to tellpeople to stop and frisk. but i come to tell you just likeour mothers and fathers beat jim crow, we will beatjames crow jr., esquire. they called the generation ofdr. king the moses generation; and those out here now, joshua. but if joshua does notfight the fights of moses, they're not really joshua. we saw dr. king and thedream crossed the red sea

of apartheid and segregation. but we haveto cross the jordan of unequaleconomic (unintelligible). we have to cross the jordanof continued discrimination and mass incarceration. we've got to keep on fighting. and we've got to vindicate andstand up and substantiate that the dream was notfor one generation. the dream goes on untilthe dream is achieved.

lastly, we made it this far,not because of what we had in our pocket, but what wehad in our hearts, not because of what we owned,but because who owned us. and we thank a mighty god forgiving us a martin luther king. we thank a mighty god thatbrought us a long way. he brought us fromdisgrace to amazing grace. he brought us from thebutler to the president. he brought us frombeulah to oprah. he brought us a mighty long way.

and we thank god for the dream,and we're going to keep on fighting until thedream is a reality. hillharper: ladies and gentlemen,please welcome randi weingarten. randi weingarten: ladies andgentlemen, sisters and brothers, i am the president ofthe 1.5 million member american federation of teachers. we have come so far: king,ruston, evers, parks, chavez, and so many others who havesummoned our nation to confront the malignancy of prejudiceand discrimination.

and many of our afflictionshave been healed, but we have far to go,because the supreme court has turned its backon voter suppression. many were once again bedenied the right to vote. children born todaypoor will stay poor. billions of americans workhard every day but can't earn a living wage or exercise theright to collectively bargain. public schools where kids needthe most, often get the least. and discrimination based uponthe color of your skin

or the person you love maynot be legal in many arenas. but it still lethalin many times. leaders this day 50 years agounderstood that the struggle for civil rights andracial equality is a struggle for good jobs and decent wages. they understood, as we do today,that public education is an economic necessity,an anchor of democracy and a fundamental right. so we celebrate today thatwe have become a country that

believes in equality,and we recommit ourselves to be a country that actson that belief. and that starts with reclaimingthe promise of public education, not as it is todayor was in the past, but what we need it to beto fulfill our collective responsibility to allof god's children. a great nation ensures thatevery neighborhood public school is a good school. it takes great pains to make theworking poor and child hunger

conditions of the past. it honors the rights of workers. it takes its immigrantsout of its shadows, and it makes thefranchise sacrosanct. a great nation is one thatacts to lifting us towards opportunity and justice. the king family has broughtus together these five days, not simply toreflect, but to act. and we, at the aft, willact to keep the dream alive.

hill harper:please welcome julian bond. julian bond:this is a special day anda special place for all of us. not only do we pay homageto those who gathered here 50 years ago to tell the nationthat they, too, were americans. we also celebrate the 150thanniversary of abraham lincoln's gettysburg address and theemancipation proclamation. this is personal for me. like many of you,i was privileged to be here 50 years ago.

and like many of you,i am the grandson of a slave. my grandfather and hismother were property, like a horse or a chair. as a young girls,she'd been given away as a wedding presentto a new bride. and when that bridebecame pregnant, her husband -- that's mygreat-grandmother's owner and master -- exercised his rightto take his wife's slave as his mistress.

that unionproduced two children: one of them, my grandfather. at age 15, barelyable to read or write, he hitched his (unintelligible)to a steer and walked across to kentucky to berea college,and the college let him in. he belonged to a transcendentgeneration of black americans, a generation born in slavery,freed by the civil war, determined to make theirway as free women and men. martin luther king belongedto a transcendent generation

of black americans, too: a generationborn in segregation, when my grandfathergraduated from berea, the college asked him to deliverthe commencement address. he said then the pessimisticfrom his corner looks out on a world of wickedness and sin, andblinded by all that is good or hopeful in the condition andthe progress of the human race, bewails the present state ofaffairs and predicts woeful things for the future.

and every cloud he beholdsa destructive storm, and every flagship lightningand an omen of evil, and every shadow that fallsacross his path a lurking foe. but he forgets that the cloudsalso bring life and hope, that the lightningpurifies the atmosphere, that shadow and darknessprepare for sunshine and growth, and that hardships andadversity nerve the race as the individuals for greaterefforts and grander victories. we're still being testedby hardships and diversity,

from the elevation ofstand-your-ground laws to the eviscerationof the voting rights act. but today we commit ourselves,as we did 50 years ago, to greater effortsand grander victories. announcer:and now please welcomegospel singer and songwriter, ms. shirley caesar. (upbeat music) shirley caesar:come on everybody, just clap those hands.

we've been prayingabout this rain, and i believe that god'slooking out for us. â™ª how i got over,how i got over, â™ª â™ª gave my soul lookback (unintelligible). â™ª â™ª how i got over,i did it over, yeah, â™ª â™ª my soul look back andwonder how i got over. â™ª â™ª listen, soon asi can see jesus, â™ª â™ª that man thatdied for me. â™ª â™ª oh, that man that suffered â™ª

â™ª and he hung on calvary. â™ª â™ª i'm going to thank him â™ª â™ª because hebrought me out. â™ª â™ª i'm going to make itbecause he brought me. â™ª â™ª oh, thank himbecause he kept me. â™ª â™ª because he'snever left me. â™ª â™ª and when i get to glory, â™ª â™ª i'm going totell my story. â™ª â™ª say jesus,him i get in glory. â™ª

â™ª i'm going to sayhallelujah. â™ª â™ª my soul, thank him. â™ª â™ª (unintelligible) inthe new jerusalem. â™ª â™ª i'm going to viewthe host in white, â™ª â™ª that traveledboth day and night â™ª â™ª on the way toa great celebration. â™ª â™ª i'm going to jointhe heavenly choir. â™ª â™ª i'm going to singand never get tired. â™ª â™ª i'm goingto sing, shout. â™ª

â™ª (unintelligible)how i got over. â™ª â™ª i'm (unintelligible)my soul. â™ª â™ª how i got over. â™ª â™ª i made it over, mysoul (unintelligible). â™ª â™ª well thank you,thank you, lord. â™ª â™ª thank you,thank you, lord. â™ª (unintelligible) anybody herethat's thankful over 50 years. god been good, he been kind, he brought us upfrom a very low grade.

â™ª thank you, lord. â™ª â™ª (unintelligible)here to thank you. â™ª â™ª thank you, thankyou, thank you, lord. â™ª â™ª thank you, thank you, lord. â™ª â™ª i'm going to sing(unintelligible). â™ª â™ª thank you in the morning. â™ª â™ª you've been a sister. â™ª â™ª you've been a brother. â™ª â™ª (unintelligible)thank you, lord. â™ª

â™ª oh, thank you. â™ª â™ª oh, thank you, jesus. â™ª â™ª thank you, thank you. â™ª â™ª i'm going to sing(unintelligible) my soul. â™ª god bless you, godbless the king. - in 1963, at a historicspot, my father, lyndon johnson, a passionatebeliever in equality, spoke these words: "one hundredyears ago, the slave was freed. one hundred years later,the negro remains

in bondage to the colorof his skin. the negro today asks justice. we do not answer him. we do not answer thosewho lie beneath this soil. we reply to the negroby asking patience." the place was gettysburg,and i was with him. and he spoke onmemorial day, 1963, at the 100th anniversaryof the civil war. he was vice presidentat that time,

and it was three monthsbefore the historical march on washington thatwe commemorate today. at a superficialglance, my father, the grandson of aconfederate soldier, may not have seemed the mostobvious ally to the movement: a white southernerfrom jim crow south, he was no young idealistfresh out of college, nor was racial equality apressing goal of the majority of his texas constituents-- rather the opposite.

but as a teacher, he hadseen the plight of his mexican-american students, anddr. king's powerful dream found a kindred spirit in myfather, who cared deeply about fairness and equality. when the tragedy of presidentkennedy's assassination propelled him to the presidency,he used every power at his disposal, including hisconsiderable legislative muscle, to push through the civilrights of act of 1964 -- -- the voting rightsact of 1965 --

-- and the fairhousing act of 1968. and daddy's last year in thewhite house signing the third civil rights bill, he wrote,"i do not exaggerate when i say that the proudest moments ofmy presidency have been in times such as this wheni have signed into law the promises of a century." recently, the supreme courtstruck down part of the voting rights act which did so muchto combat voting inequality in our country.

now, 50 years late -- later,there are still many examples from current events onhow much farther we have yet to go to achieve that promiseof a colorblind america. but remember too that fairnessand equality are powerful ideas that resonate withall americans, and with a message as inspiringand timeless as the dream of dr. king, there willbe unexpected allies if only we look for them. and you know what his wife said?

coretta scott king said,"freedom is never really won. you earn it and win itin every generation." and she was right. so let's go forth,like jimmie foxx said. hill harper:please welcomecaroline kennedy. caroline kennedy:thank you, lynda johnson robb. good afternoon. fifty years ago, my fatherwatched from the white house as dr. king and thousandsof others recommitted america

to our highest ideals. over the preceding months,president kennedy had put the full force of the federalgovernment on the side of the movement, calling on allamericans to recognize that we faced a moral crisisas old as the scriptures and as clear asthe american constitution. his brothers, my uncle bobbyand teddy, my aunt eunice, continued his commitment workingto expand the promises made here to others suffering fromdiscrimination and exclusion.

a few months ago after thetrayvon martin verdict was handed down andthe supreme court eviscerated the voting rights act,president obama did the same, reminding us all that despiteour remarkable progress, each generation must rededicateitself to the unfinished work of building a freeand just america. 50 years ago, our parentsand grandparents marched we have sufferedand sacrificed too much to let their dreambecome a memory.

the children in our failingschools are all of our children. the victims of hatecrimes and gun violence are our brothers and sisters. in the words of an old japaneseproverb, "the water flows on, but the river remains." now it's our turn to liveup to our parents' dream, to draw renewed strength fromwhat happened here 50 years ago and work togetherfor a better world. announcer:please welcome actor andunesco goodwill ambassador

for peace reconciliation,forest whitaker. forest whitaker:it's a great honor to behere on the 50th anniversary of dr. king'smarch on washington. it's very humbling to be allowedto connect with you in this way. each of you came here withindividual goals and intentions, which at first glance mayseem separate and exclusive, but we all share a common bond. your presence here today saysyou care and want to bring more peace, love, andharmony into the world.

together, we mustembrace this moment. in my travels as a goodwillambassador for peace both here and abroad,i've observed revolutions and social change firsthand. i've seen youthssenselessly killed, people struggling for food,for a decent home, education, and justice, and i am oftenreminded of the marches and the sit-ins we experiencedhere during the sixties. and i remember the wordsof dr. martin luther king,

which were, "i havedecided to stick with love. hate is too greata burden to bear." we've all seenimages from those days of the civil rights movement. pictures of segregated waterfountains, public waiting rooms, movie theaters, and inthose amazing photos, i've always been drawnto the men, women, and children who arethe silent heroes. many remain nameless, buttheir heroic faces captured

the portraits of the past toremind us of their sacrifice. they risked theirlives working tirelessly to bring about change. today, i want to celebratethose nameless individuals as we reflect on the last50 years, and in doing so, i want you to recognize the herothat exists inside yourselves, to understand that every stepyou take around an unknown corner marks your bravery. when we overcome life's hurdles,when we face and conquer

our fears, when we help othersbecome their better selves, we are committingsmall acts of heroism. and if i were to take a pictureof this crowd right now, people would see some of yourfaces in the movements that are starting today. this is your moment to jointhose silent heroes of the past, individuals who stood in thevery spot where you stand today. you now have the responsibilityto carry the torch. as we gather here at thefoot of the lincoln memorial

as hundreds of thousandsdid on this day 50 years ago, i remain encouragedand inspired. let's be the generation to makea true difference in the world. let's createmeaningful change, change that we can allbelieve in and share in. my mother always told me, "youdon't have to believe in the things that i believe, but youhave to believe in something." search -- search to find thething that you believe in, the thing thatyou believe will help mankind

and then act upon it likeso many of the silent heroes and heroines of the movement. each of us can spark changeby working to strengthen our communities and toshape our common destiny. so as the bell rings today,my dream is that something will resonate inside you and methat will remind us each of our common bond. i'd like to leave you withthese words by dr. king. "whatever affects one directlyaffects all indirectly."

"i can never bewhat i ought to be until you are whatyou ought to be." may god bless you. may we remainconnected in love. we are one. hill harper:please welcomebebe winans, marvin winans,and carvin winans. (music playing) â™ª those predestinatehe also called. â™ª

â™ª into whom he called,he justified. â™ª â™ª into whom he justifiedhe glorified. â™ª â™ª so what do we sayto all these things? â™ª â™ª if god be for us,who can be against us? â™ª â™ª if god be for me, whocan be against me? â™ª â™ª in spite of my failuresi've still been called, â™ª â™ª and because of calvary,i've been justified. â™ª â™ª and when it's all over,he promised to glorify. â™ª â™ª so what do we say toall of these things? â™ª

â™ª this is what we say. â™ª â™ª if god be for us, whocan be against us? â™ª â™ª so don't be afraidof the tear by gauge â™ª â™ª nor the arrow thatflies by the day. â™ª â™ª some give up hisangels charge overdue â™ª â™ª and that same trialhe has made a way. â™ª â™ª he's made a way. â™ª â™ª if god be for me,who can be against me? â™ª â™ª nothing can be against me. â™ª

(music ends) marvin winans:how many knowthat as many people have pointed out todaythat the reason it worked, the reason we achievedvictory is because we're on the side of righteousness? and no matter who triesto stand in your way, i want you to leave here knowingthat if god is for you -- boy, i wishi had some help here. i said i wishi had some help here.

â™ª that if god is for us, â™ª â™ª no matter howlong it takes, â™ª â™ª no matter howmany trials, â™ª â™ª no matter howmany fights, â™ª â™ª if god be for us, â™ª â™ª no one canstand against us. â™ª â™ª so say with me,if god be for us, â™ª â™ª who can be -- ooh. â™ª â™ª god be for us, who can -- â™ª

â™ª no matter howlong it takes. â™ª â™ª if god befor me, who -- â™ª â™ª who can be against -- â™ª â™ª you might have to singin the rain sometimes. â™ª â™ª but if god be forus, who -- yeah. â™ª â™ª well, well, well,well, well, well, well. â™ª â™ª if god be for me -- yes. â™ª â™ª who can be -- oh. â™ª â™ª yeah, nobody canbe against me. â™ª

â™ª oh, if god befor -- well, well. â™ª â™ª so happy tobe on the side. â™ª â™ª so happy to be onthe lord's side. â™ª â™ª oh, well. â™ª â™ª yeah, yeah, yeah. â™ª â™ª everybody onthe lord's side. â™ª â™ª well, well. â™ª â™ª so glad he spoke. â™ª â™ª so glad he's waiting. â™ª

â™ª who can be -- needsomebody over here â™ª â™ª to say if god be for -- â™ª â™ª well, well, well. â™ª â™ª well, well, well, well. â™ª â™ª he's got the wholeworld in his hands. â™ª â™ª he's got you and me,brother, in his hands. â™ª â™ª he's got you and me,sister, in his hands. â™ª â™ª he's got everybodyhere in his hands. â™ª â™ª in his hands. â™ª

â™ª on high we'll liftmine eyes to the hills. â™ª â™ª though we might fail,it's god we from you. â™ª â™ª your peace you give mein time, oh god, so -- â™ª â™ª you are the sourceof my strength. â™ª â™ª you are thestrength of my life. â™ª â™ª i lift my eyesin total praise to -- â™ª â™ª lord, i will lift mineeyes to the hills. â™ª â™ª choir:you are the strengthof my life. â™ª â™ª - so god, this day welift our hands to you jesus. â™ª

â™ª i want to say a worship righthere at the national mall. â™ª â™ª help us sing amen. â™ª â™ª hallelujah. â™ª â™ª come on, justwave your hand â™ª â™ª at the endof this unity. â™ª â™ª come on, sing it. â™ª â™ª amen. â™ª hallelujah. announcer:ladies and gentlemen,oprah winfrey.

oprah winfrey:hello everybody. i am absolutelythrilled to be here. i remember when i was nine yearsold and the march was occurring and i asked my mama,"can i go to the march?" took me 50 years, but i'm here. on this date in this place atthis time 50 years ago today, dr. martin lutherking shared his dream for america with america. dr. king was the passionatevoice that awakened

the conscience of a nationand inspired people all over the world. the power of his words resonatedbecause they were spoken out of an unwavering belief infreedom and justice, equality, and opportunity for all. let freedom ringwas dr. king's closing call for a betterand more just america. so today, people from all walksof life will gather at 3 p.m. for bell ringing events acrossour great country and around

the world as we reaffirm ourcommitment to dr. king's ideals. dr. king believed that ourdestinies are all intertwined and he knew thatour hopes and our dreams are really all the same. he challenged us tosee how we all are more alike than we are different. so as the bells offreedom ring today, we're hoping that it's a timefor all of us to reflect on not only the progress that has beenmade -- and we've made a lot --

but on what we have accomplishedand also on the work that still remains before us. it's an opportunity today torecall where we once were in this nation and to think aboutthat young man who at 34 years old stood up here and was ableto force an entire country to wake up, to look at itself,and to eventually change. and as we, the people, continueto honor the dream of a man and a movement, a man who in hisshort life saw suffering and injustice and refusedto look the other way,

we can be inspired and we toocan be courageous by continuing to walk in the footstepsof the path that he forged. he's the one who reminded usthat we will never walk alone. he was, after all, adrum major for justice. so as the bells toll today,let us reflect on the bravery, let us reflect on the sacrificeof those who stood up for freedom,who stood up for us, whose shoulderswe now stand on. and as the bellstoll today at three,

let us ask ourselves how willthe dream live on in me, in you, in all of us? as the bells toll, let us remindourselves injustice anywhere is a threatto justice everywhere. as the bells toll, we committo a life of service because dr. king -- one of myfavorite quotes from him is, "not everybody can be famous,but everybody can be great because greatness isdetermined by service." so we ask ourselves, whatare we doing for others,

to lift others up? and as the bells toll, we mustrecommit to -- that the love that abides and connects eachof us to shine through and let freedom ring. announcer:please welcome the kingfamily in welcoming the honorablejohn lewis of georgia. - ladies and gentleman,please welcome president jimmy carter,president bill clinton, first lady michelle obama,

and the presidentof the united states, barack obama. ladies and gentleman, please standfor our national anthem, performed by identity4pop. identity4pop:oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight'slast gleaming.

whose broad stripesand bright stars through theperilous fight o'er the rampartswe watched were so gallantlystreaming. and the rockets'red glare, the bombsbursting in air, gave proofthrough the night that our flagwas still there. oh, say does that starspangled banner yet wave

o'er the landof the free and the homeof the brave. announcer:ladies and gentleman,john lewis. john lewis:president and mrs. obama, president clinton,president carter, i want to thankbernice king, the king family, and the national park service for inviting mehere to speak today. when i look out over thisdiverse crowd and survey

the guests on this platform,it seemed to realize what otis reddingsang about and what martin luther king, jr.,preached about. this moment in our historyhas been a long time coming, but the change has come! we are standing herein the shadow of abraham lincoln 150 years after he issuedemancipation proclamation and only 50 years after thehistoric march on washington for jobs and freedom.

we have come a great distancein this country in the 50 years. but we still have a greatdistance to go before we fulfill the dream of martin lutherking, jr. sometime i hear people saying nothing has changed. but for someone to grow up theway i grew up in the cotton fields of alabama to now beserving in the united states congress makes mewant to tell them, "come and walk in my shoes. come walk in the shoes ofthose attacked by police dogs,

fire hoses, and night sticks,arrested and taken to jail." i first came to washington inthe same year that president barack obama was born, toparticipate in a freedom ride. in 1961, black and white peoplecould not be seated together on a greyhound bus. so we decided to take anintegrated fashion ride from here to new orleans. but we never made it there. over 400 of us were arrestedand jailed in mississippi

during the freedom ride. a bus was set on firein anniston, alabama. we were beaten andarrested and jailed. but we helped bringan end to segregation in public transportation. i came back here again in juneof 1963, with the big six, as the new chairman of the student nonviolentcoordinating committee. we met with presidentkennedy, who said the fires

of frustration were burningthroughout america. in 1963, we could notregister to vote simply because of thecolor of our skin. we had to pay a poll tax, passa so-called literacy test, count the number of bubbles ina bar of soap or the number of jelly beans in a jar. hundreds and thousands of peoplearrested and jailed throughout the south fortrying to participate in the democratic process.

medger evers had beenkilled in mississippi. and that's why we toldpresident kennedy we intended to march on washington,to demonstrate the need for equal justice andequal opportunity in america. on august 28, 1963,the nation's capitol was in a state of emergency. thousands of troopssurrounded the city. workers were told tostay home that day. liquor stores were closed.

but the march was soorderly, so peaceful. we were filled with dignity andself-respect because we believe in a way of peace, the way oflove, the way of non-violence. people came that dayto that march just like they were on their wayto a religious service. as mahalia jacksonsang, "how we got over? how we got over?" she drew thousands of ustogether in a strange sense. it seemed like the wholeplace started rocking.

we truly believed thatin every human being, even those who violent --who were violent toward us, there was a spark of the divine. and no person had the rightto scar or destroy that spark. martin luther king, jr.taught us the way of peace, the way of love, theway of non-violence. he taught us to havethe power to forgive, the capacity to be reconciled. he taught us to stand up,to speak up, to speak out,

to find a way to get in the way. people were inspired by thatvision of justice and equality and they were willing to puttheir bodies on the line for a greater cause,greater than themselves. not one incident of violencewas reported that day. a spirit had engulfed theleadership of the movement, and all of its participants. the spirit of dr. king's wordscaptured the hearts of people not just around america,but around the world.

on that day,martin luther king, jr. made a speech,but he also delivered a sermon. he transformed these marblesteps of the lincoln memorial into a modern day pulpit. he changed us forever. after the sermon,when it was over, president kennedy invited usback down to the white house. he met us standing ina door of the oval office and he was beaminglike a proud father.

as he shook the hands ofeach one of us, he said, "you did a good job. you did a good job." and he said to dr. king,"and you had a dream." fifty years later, we canride anywhere we want to ride, we can stay wherewe want to stay, those signs that said "white"and "colored" are gone -- -- and you won't see themanymore except in a museum, in a book, on a video.

but they're stillinvisible signs, barrier in thehearts of humankind that form a gulf between us. too many of us stillbelieve our differences define us insteadof the divine spark that runs through all of human creation. the scars and stains of racismstill remain deeply imbedded in american society, whether theystop and frisk in new york, or injustice in the trayvonmartin case in florida.

the mass incarcerationof millions of americans, immigrants hidingin fear in the shadows of our society, unemployment,homelessness, poverty, hunger, or the renewed strugglefor voting rights. so i say toeach one of us today, we must never, ever give up. we must never, ever give in. we must keep the faith andkeep our eyes on the prize. we did go to jail.

but we got a civil rights act. we got a voting rights act. we got a fair housing act. but we must continue to push. we mustcontinue to work, as the late a. philiprandolph said to the organizer of the march in 1963. and the dean of the civilrights movement once said, "we may have come hereon different ships,

but we all are inthe same boat now." so it doesn't matter whetherwe are black or white, latino, asian american,or native american, whether we are gay orstraight, we are one people, we are one family, we alllive in the same house. not just america's house,but the world's house. and when we finallyaccept these truths, then we will be ableto fulfill dr. king's dream to build a belovedcommunity, a nation,

and a worldat peace with itself. thank you very much! announcer:please welcome the 39thpresident of the united states, jimmy carter. former president carter:well i'm greatlyhonored to be here and i realize thatmost people know that it's highly unlikely that any of usthree over on my right would have served in the white houseor be on this platform had it not beenfor martin luther king, jr.,

and his movement, and his crusadefor civil rights. so we are grateful tohim for us being here. i'm also proud thati came from the same part of the south as he did. he never lost contactwith the folks back home. there he was, helping intennessee, garbage workers, as you know, when he gavehis life to a racist bullet. i remember how it wasback in those days.

i left georgia in 1943for college and the navy. and when i came fromthe submarine duty, i was put on theboard of education. i suggested to theother members that we visit all the schools in the county. they had never done this before and they were reluctantto go with me. but we finally did it. and we found that white childrenhad three nice, brick buildings.

but the african americanchildren had 26 different elementary schoolsin the county. they were in churches,in front living rooms, and a few in barns. they had so many because therewere no school buses for african american children and they hadto be within walking distance of where they went to class. their schoolbooks were outdatedand worn out and every one of them had a white child's namein the front of the book.

we finally obtained some buses,and then the state legislature ordained that the frontfenders be painted black. not even the school busescould be equal to each other. one of the finest moments ofmy life was 10 months after dr. king's famousspeech right here, when president lyndon johnsonsigned the civil rights act. i was really grateful when theking family adopted me as their presidential candidate in 1976. every handshake ofdr. king, from daddy king,

every hug from coretta, gotme a million yankee votes. daddy king prayed atthe democratic convention, for quite a while, i might say. and coretta was inthe hotel room with me and rosalynn when i waselected president. my presidential medal offreedom citation to coretta, daddy king said, and i quote,"he gazed at the great wall of segregation andsaw that the power of love could bring it down.

he made our nation strongerbecause he made it better." we were able to create anational historic site where dr. king lived,worked, and worshipped. it's next door tothe carter center, linked together justby a walking path. and at the carter center,we try to make the principles that we followthe same as his, emphasizing peaceand human rights. i remember that daddy king said,

"too many people thinkmartin freed only black people. in truth, he helpedto free all people." and daddy king added,"it's not enough to have a right to sit on a lunch counter ifyou can't afford to buy a meal." and he also said, "theghetto still looks the same, even from the frontseat of a bus." perhaps themost challenging statement of martin luther king, jr.,was, and i quote, "the crucial question of ourtime is how to overcome

oppression and violencewithout resorting to oppression and violence." in the nobel prizeceremony of 2002, i said that my fellow georgianwas, and i quote again, "the greatest leaderthat my native state and perhaps my native country,has ever produced." and i was not excludingpresidents and even the founding fathers when i said this. i believe we all knowhow dr. king would've

reacted to the newi.d. requirements to exclude certain voters,especially african americans. i think we all know howdr. king would've reacted to the supreme courtstriking down a crucial part of the voters' rights act, just recently passedoverwhelmingly by congress. i think we all know how dr. kingwould've reacted to unemployment among african americans beingalmost twice the rate of white people, and forteenagers, at 42 percent.

i think we would all know howdr. king would have reacted to our country being awash in guns,and for more and more states passing stand your ground laws. i think we know how dr. kingwould've reacted for people of district of columbia still nothaving full citizenship rights. and i think we all know howdr. king would have reacted to have more than 835,000african american men in prison, five times as many aswhen i left office, and with one third of allafrican american males being

destined to be in prisonin their lifetimes. well, there's a tremendousagenda ahead of us. and i'm thankful tomartin luther king, jr., that his dreamis still alive. announcer:and now, please welcome the 42nd president of theunited states, bill clinton. former president clinton:thank you. mr. president, mrs. obama,president carter, vice president biden,dr. biden,

i want to thank my greatfriend reverend bernice king and the king familyfor inviting me to be a part of this50th observation of one of the most importantdays in american history. dr. king and a. philip randolph, john lewis andbayard rustin, dorothy height, myrlie evers, daisy bates, and all the others wholed this massive march knew what they were doingon this hallowed ground.

in the shadow oflincoln's statue, the burning memoryof the fact that he gave his life to preserve the unionand end slavery, martin luther king urged hiscrowd not to drink from the cup of bitterness, but to reachacross the racial divide because, he said, "we cannotwalk alone. their destiny is tiedup with our destiny. their freedom is inextricablybound to our freedom."

he urged the victims of racialviolence to meet white americans with an outstretchedhand, not a clenched fist, and in so doing to provethe redeeming power of unearned suffering. and then, he dreamed of anamerica where all citizens would sit together at thetable of brotherhood, where little white boys andgirls and little black boys and girls would hold handsacross the color line, where his own children would bejudged not by the color of their

skin, but by the contentof their character. this march and thatspeech changed america. they opened minds. they melted hearts. and they moved millions,including a 17 year old boy watching alone inhis home in arkansas. it was anempowering moment, but also an empowered moment. as the great chroniclerof those years,

taylor branch wrote: themovement here gained the force to open quote, "the stubborngates of freedom" and out flowed the civil rights act, the votingrights act, immigration reform, medicare, medicaid,open housing. it is well to remember that theleaders and the foot soldiers here were both idealists andtough realists, they had to be. it was a violent time. just three months later,we lost president kennedy. and we thank god that presidentjohnson came in and fought

for all those issuesi just mentioned. just five years later,we lost senator kennedy, and in between there was thecarnage of the fight for jobs, freedom, and equality. just 18 days after this march,four little children were killed in the birminghamchurch bombing. then there were theku klux klan murders, the mississippi lynchings,and a dozen others. until, in 1968, dr. kinghimself was martyred,

still marching forjobs and freedom. what a debt we oweto those people who came here 50 years ago. the martyrs played it allfor a dream. a dream as john lewis said, that millions havenow actually lived. so how are we goingto repay the debt? dr. king's dreamof interdependence, his prescription of wholehearted cooperation across

racial lines, they ring as truetoday as they did 50 years ago. oh, yes, we face terriblepolitical gridlock now. read a little history. it's nothing new. yes, there remain racialinequalities in employment, income, health,wealth, incarceration, and the in victims andperpetrators of violent crime. but we don't facebeatings, lynchings, and shootings for ourpolitical beliefs any more.

and i would respectfully suggestthat martin luther king did not live and die to hear his heirscrying about political gridlock. it is time to stop complainingand put our shoulders against the stubborn gates holdingthe american people back. we cannot be disheartenedby the forces of resistance to building a modern economyof good jobs and rising incomes, or to rebuildingour education system, to give all our childrena common core of knowledge necessary to ensure success, orto give americans of all ages

access to affordable collegeand training programs. and we thank the president forhis efforts in those regards. we cannot relax in ourefforts to implement healthcare reform in a way thatends discrimination against those with pre-existingconditions, one of which isinadequate income to pay for rising healthcare -- -- a healthcare reformthat will lower cost and lengthen lives.

nor can we stop investing inscience and technology to train our young people of all racesfor the jobs of tomorrow and to act on what we learned aboutour bodies, our businesses, and our climate. we must push openthose stubborn gates. we cannot be discouraged by asupreme court decision that said we don't need thiscritical provision of the voting rights actbecause look at the states. it made it harder for africanamericans and hispanics and

students and the elderlyand the infirm and poor working folks to vote. what do you know? they showed up, stood in linefor hours, and voted anyway, so obviously we don'tneed any kind of laws. but a great democracydoes not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon. we must openthose stubborn gates. and let us not forgot that whileracial divides persist and must

not be denied, the wholeamerican landscape is littered with the lost dreams and dashedhopes of people of all races. and the great irony of thecurrent moment is that the future has never brimmedwith more possibilities. it has never burned brighter inwhat we could become if we push open those stubborn gates,and if we do it together. the choice remains as it was on that distant summerday 50 years ago: cooperate and thrive or fightwith each other and fall behind.

we should all thank god fordr. king and john lewis and all those who gave usa dream to guide us. a dream they paid for,like our founders, with their lives, theirfortunes, their sacred honor. and we thank them forreminding us that america is always becoming, always on a journey, and we all, every singlecitizen among us, have to run our lap.

god bless them andgod bless america. announcer:please give a warm welcome to martin luther the king iii martin luther king iii:mr. president,madame first lady, president carter,president clinton, congressman lewis, and toall program participants, this is an unusual momentin our world history, as we observe this50th anniversary. and i am so thankful for theopportunity to really thank

america for helpingto realize the dream, although i must sayit not yet realized. and so we must redoubleand quadruple our efforts. so much has been said today andi was five years old in 1963 when dad delivered his message. and so i am blessed that wewere able to bring our daughter, who is hopefullypaying attention, but five -- three year --five years old so that she can appreciate this history andcontinue to participate.

there are two quick otherthings that i want to say. i've been speaking allweek, as many of us have. but i'm reminded thatdad challenged us. that's what he did; challengeour nation to be a better nation for all god's children. i'm reminded that he taught usthe power of love, agape love, the love that istotally unselfish, you love someone if they'reold or young, rich or poor, black or white, native americanor hispanic american, or latino.

it does not matter;you love them because godcalls us to do that. love and forgiveness iswhat we need more of. not just in our nation, butreally throughout the world. and so i want to rushto tell you dad said, "the ultimate measure of ahuman being is where one stands not in times of comfortand convenience, but where he stands in timesof challenge and controversy." he went on to say thaton some questions,

how it is asked is a position. say expediency askedis a position politic, vanity asked is aposition popular, that something deep insidecalled conscience ask is a position right. so he often talked aboutsometimes we must take positions that are neither safe,nor popular, nor politic, but we must take those positionsbecause our conscience tells us they are right.

i finally saythis afternoon; we've got alot of work to do. but none of us shouldbe in any ways tired. why? because we've come much toofar from where we started. you see, no one ever told any ofus that our roads would be easy. but i know our god,our god, our god did not bring any of usthis far to leave us. announcer:please welcomechristine king farris.

christine king farris:thank you. president obama and mrs. obama, former presidents clintonand carter, other distinguishedprogram participants, i am honored to be among youtoday and to address this historic gathering. i don't know if i am the mostsenior speaker to address this assembly today, but iam certainly and surely the only person alive whoknew martin luther king, jr.,

when he was a baby. it has been my greatprivilege to watch my little brother grow,and thrive, and develop into a fine manand then a great leader whose legacy continues toinspire countless millions around the world. unfortunately, a bout withthe flu virus 50 years ago prevented me from attendingthe original march. but i was able to watchit on television

and i was as awestruckas everyone else. i knew martin was anexcellent preacher because i had seen himdeliver on many occasions. but on that day, martin achieved greatnessbecause he melded the hopes and dreams of millionsinto a grand vision of healing, reconciliation, and brotherhood. the dream my brother shared withour nation and world on that sweltering day of days 50 yearsago continues to nurture and

sustain non-violent activistsworldwide in their struggles for freedom and human rights. indeed, this gathering providesa powerful testament of hope and proof positive that martin'sgreat dream will live on in the hearts of humanityfor generations to come. our challenge, then,as followers of martin luther king, jr. is to now honorhis life, leadership, and legacy by living our livesin a way that carries forward

the unfinished work. there is no better way to honorhis sacrifices and contributions than by becoming champions ofnon-violence in our homes and communities, in our placesof work, worship, and learning, everywhere,every day. the dream martin shared onthat day a half century ago remains a definitive statementof the american dream, the beautiful vision of adiverse, freedom loving people, united in our love for justice,brotherhood, and sisterhood.

yes, they can slaythe dreamer, but no, they cannot destroyhis immortal dream. but martin's dream is avision not yet to be realized, a dream yet unfilled. and we have much to do beforewe can celebrate the dream as a reality, as the suppressionof voting rights and horrific violence that has taken thelives of trayvon martin and young people all across americahas so painfully demonstrated. but despite the influencesand challenges we face,

we are here todayto affirm the dream. we are not goingto be discouraged. we are not goingto be distracted. we are not going to be defeated. instead, we are going forwardinto this uncertain future with courage and determination to make the dreama vibrant reality. and so the work to fulfillthe dream goes on and despite the daunting challengeswe face on the road

to the beloved community, i feel that the dream issinking deep and nourishing roots all across americaand around the world. may it continue to thrive andspread and help bring justice, peace, and liberationto all humanity. thank you and god bless you all. announcer:please welcomereverend dr. bernice king. dr. bernice king:president obama, mrs. obama, presidents carter andclinton, congressman lewis,

ambassador young, to my brothermartin iii, dexter scott king, and to my entire family, i wasfive months old when my father delivered his"i have a dream" speech. and i probably was somewherecrawling on the floor or taking a napafter having a meal. but today is a glorious day because on this program today wehave witnessed a manifestation of the beloved communityand we thank everyone for their presence here today.

today we have been honoredto have three presidents of the united states. fifty years ago thepresident did not attend. today we are honored to havemany women in the planning and mobilizationof the 50th anniversary and 50 years ago there was nota single woman on the program. today we are honored to havenot just one young person, but several young peopleon the program today. it is certainly a tributeto the work and the legacy

of so many people that havegone on before us. fifty years ago today in thesymbolic shadow of this great emancipator, abraham lincoln,my father the great liberator, stood in this very spot anddeclared to this nation his dream to let freedom ring,for all people who were being manacled by a system ofsegregation and discrimination. fifty years ago he commissionedus to go back to our various cities, towns, hamlets,states, and villages the reverberation of the soundof that freedom message has

amplified and echoed since 1963,through the decades and coast to coast throughout this nation andeven around the world and has summoned us once again backto these hallowed grounds to send out a clarion callto let freedom ring. since that time, as a result ofthe civil rights act of 1964, the voting rights act of 1965,and the fair housing act in 1968, we have witnessed greatstrides toward freedom for all regardless of race,color, gender, religion, national origin, disability,class, or sexual orientation.

fifty years later inthis year of jubilee, we're standing once againin the shadow of that great emancipator, having beensummoned to these hallowed grounds, to reverberate themessage of that great liberator for there's a remnant from1963, congressman lewis, ambassador young,that still remains, who has come to bequeath thatmessage of freedom to a new generation of people who mustnow carry that message in their time,in their communities,

amongst their tribes, and amongst theirnations of the world. we must keep thesound and the message of freedom and justice going. it was my mother, as hasbeen said previously, coretta scott king,who, in fact, 30 years ago assembled a coalitionof conscience that started us on this whole path ofremembering the anniversary she reminded us that struggleis a never-ending process.

freedom is never really won. you earn it and win itin every generation. and so we come once again to letfreedom ring because if freedom stops ringing, then thesound will disappear and the atmosphere will be chargedwith something else. fifty years later we come onceagain to this special landing on the steps of the lincolnmemorial to reflect, to renew, and to rejuvenate forthe continued struggle of freedom and justice.

for today, 50 yearslater, my friends, we are still crippled bypractices and policies steeped in racial pride,hatred and hostility, some of which have usstanding our ground rather than finding common ground. we are still chained byeconomic disparities, income, and class inequalities, andconditions of poverty for many of god's children aroundthis nation and the world. we're still bound by a cycle ofcivil unrest and inherent social

biases in our nation and worldthat oftentimes degenerates into violence and destruction,especially against women and children. we're at this landing andnow we must break the cycle. the prophet kingspoke the vision. he made it plain and we mustrun with it in this generation. his prophetic vision andmagnificent dream described the yearning of people all over theworld to have the freedom to prosper in life, which isthe right to pursue one's

aspirations, purpose, dreams,wellbeing, without oppressive, depressive, repressivepractices, behaviors, laws, and conditions that diminishone's dignity and denies one life, liberty, and thepursuit of happiness, the freedom toparticipate in government, which is the right to havea voice and a say in how you are represented,regulated, and governed, without threats of tyranny,disenfranchisement, exclusionary tacticsand behaviors,

and to have freedomto peacefully coexist, which is the right to berespected in one's selfhood, individuality and uniquenesswithout fear of attack, assault, or abuse. in 1967 my father asked apoignant and critical question, "where do we go from here?" chaos or community? and we say with a resoundingvoice, "no," to chaos, and "yes" to community.

if we're going to ridourselves of the chaos, then we must makea necessary shift. nothing is more tragic thanfor us to fail to achieve new attitudes and newmental outlooks. we have a tremendous andunprecedented opportunity to reset the very means by which welive, work, and enjoy our lives. if we're going to continue thestruggle of freedom and create true community, then we willhave to be relentless in exposing, confronting, andridding ourselves of the mindset

of pride, and greed, andselfishness, and hate, and lust, and fear, and idleness, and lackof purpose, and lack of love, as my brother said,for our neighbor. we must seize this moment,the dawning of a new day, the emergence of a newgeneration who is postured to change the world throughcollaborative power facilitated byunconditional love. and as i close, i call upon mybrother by the name of nehemiah who was also in the midstof rebuilding a community.

and in the midst of rebuilding acommunity he brought the leaders and the rulers and the rest ofthe people together and he told them that the work is greatand large and we are widely separated one fromanother on the wall. but when you hear the sound ofthe trumpet, and might i say, when you hear the soundof the bell today, come to that spot and ourgod will fight with us. and so today we're goinglet freedom ring all across this nation.

we're going to let freedomring everywhere we go. if freedom is going to ringin libya, in syria, in egypt, in florida, then we mustreach across the table, feed each other,and let freedom ring. in 1963, the sixteenth streetbaptist church was bombed. the bell was saved. and thanks to thechurch and william bell, the mayor of birmingham,that bell is here. to help celebrate dr.king's legacy and this day,

let freedom ring. (bell rings) announcer:please welcomeour next performance by tony and grammy award winnerheather headley. heather headley:â™ª father, help your children â™ª â™ª and don't let them fallby the side of the road â™ª â™ª and teach themto love one another â™ª â™ª that heaven might finda place in their hearts â™ª â™ª 'cause jesus is love, â™ª

â™ª he won't let youdown and i know, â™ª â™ª i know he's mineforever in my heart â™ª â™ª in my heart, heart â™ª â™ª deep in my heart â™ª â™ª say it â™ª â™ª yes, his love is power â™ª â™ª his love is gloryforever and forever â™ª â™ª somebody say yes, say yes â™ª â™ª eternal power, eternal glory â™ª

â™ª oh, say yes â™ª â™ª yes, yes â™ª â™ª who can bring you love?jesus â™ª â™ª who can bring you joy?jesus â™ª (singing) the presidentof the united states, the president:to the king family, who have sacrificedand inspired so much; to president clinton;president carter;

vice president bidenand jill; fellow americans. five decades ago today, americans came to thishonored place to lay claim to a promise madeat our founding: "we hold these truthsto be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowedby their creator with certain unalienable rights,

that among theseare life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." in 1963, almost 200 years afterthose words were set to paper, a full century aftera great war was fought and emancipation proclaimed, that promise --those truths -- remained unmet. and so they cameby the thousands from every cornerof our country,

men and women,young and old, blacks who longed for freedom and whites who could no longeraccept freedom for themselves while witnessingthe subjugation of others. across the land,congregations sent them off with food and with prayer. in the middle of the night, entire blocks of harlemcame out to wish them well. with the few dollars theyscrimped from their labor,

some bought ticketsand boarded buses, even if they couldn't alwayssit where they wanted to sit. those with less moneyhitchhiked or walked. they were seamstressesand steelworkers, students and teachers,maids and pullman porters. they shared simple meals andbunked together on floors. and then,on a hot summer day, they assembled here,in our nation's capital, under the shadowof the great emancipator --

to offer testimonyof injustice, to petition theirgovernment for redress, and to awaken america'slong-slumbering conscience. we rightly and best remember dr. king's soaringoratory that day, how he gave mighty voiceto the quiet hopes of millions; how he offered a salvation path for oppressedand oppressors alike. his words belong to the ages,

possessing a power and prophecyunmatched in our time. but we would do well to recallthat day itself also belonged to those ordinary peoplewhose names never appeared in the history books,never got on tv. many had goneto segregated schools and sat at segregatedlunch counters. they lived in townswhere they couldn't vote and cities where theirvotes didn't matter. they were couples inlove who couldn't marry,

soldiers who foughtfor freedom abroad that they founddenied to them at home. they had seenloved ones beaten, and children fire-hosed, and they had every reasonto lash out in anger, or resign themselvesto a bitter fate. and yet they chosea different path. in the face of hatred, they prayed fortheir tormentors.

in the face of violence,they stood up and sat in, with the moral forceof nonviolence. willingly, they went tojail to protest unjust laws, their cells swelling withthe sound of freedom songs. a lifetime of indignitieshad taught them that no man can take awaythe dignity and grace that god grants us. they had learnedthrough hard experience what frederick douglassonce taught --

that freedom is not given,it must be won, through struggleand discipline, persistence and faith. that was the spirit theybrought here that day. that was the spirit young peoplelike john lewis brought to that day. that was the spirit that theycarried with them, like a torch, back to their citiesand their neighborhoods. that steady flame ofconscience and courage

that would sustain them throughthe campaigns to come -- through boycotts andvoter registration drives and smaller marchesfar from the spotlight; through the loss offour little girls in birmingham, and the carnage of theedmund pettus bridge, and the agony of dallasand california and memphis. through setbacks andheartbreaks and gnawing doubt, that flame of justiceflickered; it never died. and because they keptmarching, america changed.

because they marched,a civil rights law was passed. because they marched, avoting rights law was signed. because they marched, doors ofopportunity and education swung open so their daughtersand sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyondwashing somebody else's laundry or shiningsomebody else's shoes. because they marched,city councils changed and state legislatures changed, and congress changed,and, yes, eventually,

the white house changed. because they marched,america became more free and more fair --not just for african americans, but for women and latinos, asians and native americans; for catholics,jews, and muslims; for gays, for americanswith a disability. america changedfor you and for me. and the entire world drewstrength from that example,

whether the young people whowatched from the other side of an iron curtain and wouldeventually tear down that wall, or the young peopleinside south africa who would eventually endthe scourge of apartheid. those are thevictories they won, with iron wills andhope in their hearts. that is the transformationthat they wrought, with each step oftheir well-worn shoes. that's the debt that i andmillions of americans owe

those maids, those laborers, those porters,those secretaries; folks who could haverun a company maybe if they had ever had a chance; those white students whoput themselves in harm's way, even though they didn't have to; those japanese americans whorecalled their own internment; those jewish americans whohad survived the holocaust; people who could havegiven up and given in,

but kept on keeping on, knowing that"weeping may endure for a night, but joy comethin the morning." on the battlefieldof justice, men and women without rankor wealth or title or fame would liberate us all in waysthat our children now take for granted, as people of all colorsand creeds live together and learn togetherand walk together,

and fight alongside one another,and love one another, and judge one another by thecontent of our character in this greatestnation on earth. to dismiss the magnitudeof this progress -- to suggest, as some sometimesdo, that little has changed -- that dishonors the courageand the sacrifice of those who paid the priceto march in those years. medgar evers,james chaney, andrew goodman, michael schwerner,martin luther king jr. --

they did not die in vain. their victory was great. but we would dishonor thoseheroes as well to suggest that the work of this nationis somehow complete. the arc of the moral universemay bend towards justice, but it doesn't bend on its own. to secure the gainsthis country has made requires constant vigilance,not complacency. whether by challenging those whoerect new barriers to the vote,

or ensuring that the scales ofjustice work equally for all, and the criminal justice systemis not simply a pipeline from underfunded schoolsto overcrowded jails, it requires vigilance. and we'll sufferthe occasional setback. but we will win these fights. this country haschanged too much. people of goodwill,regardless of party, are too plentifulfor those with ill will

to change history's currents. in some ways, though, the securing of civil rights,voting rights, the eradication oflegalized discrimination -- the very significanceof these victories may have obscureda second goal of the march. for the men and womenwho gathered 50 years ago were not there in searchof some abstract ideal. they were there seekingjobs as well as justice --

-- not justthe absence of oppression but the presence ofeconomic opportunity. for what doesit profit a man, dr. king would ask, to sitat an integrated lunch counter if he can't afford the meal? this idea -- that one's libertyis linked to one's livelihood; that the pursuit of happinessrequires the dignity of work, the skills to find work,decent pay, some measureof material security --

this idea was not new. lincoln himself understood thedeclaration of independence in such terms -- as a promisethat in due time, "the weights should be liftedfrom the shoulders of all men, and that all shouldhave an equal chance." and dr. king explained that thegoals of african americans were identical to working peopleof all races: "decent wages, fair working conditions, livablehousing, old-age security, health and welfare measures,conditions in which families

can grow, have educationfor their children, and respect in the community." what king was describinghas been the dream of every american. it's what's lured for centuriesnew arrivals to our shores. and it's along thissecond dimension -- of economic opportunity, the chance through honest toil to advance one'sstation in life --

where the goals of 50 years agohave fallen most short. yes, there have been examplesof success within black america that would have beenunimaginable a half century ago. but as has already been noted,black unemployment has remained almost twice as highas white unemployment, latino unemploymentclose behind. the gap in wealth between raceshas not lessened, it's grown. and as president clintonindicated, the position of allworking americans,

regardless of color, has eroded, making the dream dr. kingdescribed even more elusive. for over a decade, workingamericans of all races have seen their wagesand incomes stagnate, even as corporate profits soar, even as the pay of afortunate few explodes. inequality has steadilyrisen over the decades. upward mobilityhas become harder. in too many communitiesacross this country,

in cities and suburbsand rural hamlets, the shadow of poverty castsa pall over our youth, their lives a fortressof substandard schools and diminished prospects,inadequate health care and perennial violence. and so as we markthis anniversary, we must remind ourselves thatthe measure of progress for those who marched 50 years agowas not merely how many blacks could join the ranksof millionaires.

it was whether this countrywould admit all people who are willing to work hard regardlessof race into the ranks of a middle-class life. the test was not,and never has been, whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit widerfor a few. it was whether our economicsystem provides a fair shot for the many --for the black custodian and the white steelworker,

the immigrant dishwasherand the native american veteran. to win that battle,to answer that call -- this remains our greatunfinished business. we shouldn't fool ourselves. the task will not be easy. since 1963, theeconomy has changed. the twin forces of technologyand global competition have subtracted those jobsthat once provided a foothold into the middle class --

reduced the bargainingpower of american workers. and our politics has suffered. entrenched interests,those who benefit from an unjust status quo, resisted any governmentefforts to give working families a fair deal -- marshaling an army oflobbyists and opinion makers to argue that minimum wageincreases or stronger labor laws or taxes on the wealthywho could afford it

just to fund crumbling schools, that all these things violatedsound economic principles. we'd be told that growinginequality was a price for a growing economy,a measure of this free market; that greed was good andcompassion ineffective, and those withoutjobs or health care had only themselves to blame. and then, there were thoseelected officials who found it useful to practicethe old politics of division,

doing their best to convincemiddle-class americans of a great untruth -- that government wassomehow itself to blame for their growingeconomic insecurity; that distant bureaucrats weretaking their hard-earned dollars to benefit the welfare cheator the illegal immigrant. and then, if we'rehonest with ourselves, we'll admit that duringthe course of 50 years, there were times whensome of us claiming to push

for change lost our way. the anguish of assassinationsset off self-defeating riots. legitimate grievances againstpolice brutality tipped into excuse-makingfor criminal behavior. racial politicscould cut both ways, as the transformative messageof unity and brotherhood was drowned out by thelanguage of recrimination. and what had once been a callfor equality of opportunity, the chance for all americans towork hard and get ahead was too

often framed as a mere desirefor government support -- as if we had no agency inour own liberation, as if poverty was an excusefor not raising your child, and the bigotry of others wasreason to give up on yourself. all of that history ishow progress stalled. that's how hope was diverted. it's how our countryremained divided. but the good news is,just as was true in 1963, we now have a choice.

we can continue downour current path, in which the gears of this greatdemocracy grind to a halt and our children accept a lifeof lower expectations; where politics is a zero-sumgame where a few do very well while struggling familiesof every race fight over a shrinking economic pie-- that's one path. or we can have thecourage to change. the march on washington teachesus that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history;

that we are mastersof our fate. but it also teaches us thatthe promise of this nation will only be keptwhen we work together. we'll haveto reignite the embers of empathy and fellow feeling, the coalition of consciencethat found expression in this place 50 years ago. and i believe thatspirit is there, that truth forceinside each of us.

i see it whena white mother recognizes her own daughter inthe face of a poor black child. i see it when the black youththinks of his own grandfather in the dignified stepsof an elderly white man. it's there when the native-bornrecognizing that striving spirit of the new immigrant; when theinterracial couple connects the pain of a gay couple whoare discriminated against and understands it as their own. that's wherecourage comes from --

when we turnnot from each other, or on each other,but towards one another, and we find that wedo not walk alone. that's where courage comes from. and with that courage, we can stand together forgood jobs and just wages. with that courage,we can stand together for the right to health carein the richest nation on earth for every person.

for the right of every child, from the corners of anacostiato the hills of appalachia, to get an educationthat stirs the mind and captures the spirit, and prepares them for the worldthat awaits them. with that courage,we can feed the hungry, and house the homeless,and transform bleak wastelands of poverty into fieldsof commerce and promise. america, i know theroad will be long,

but i know we can get there. yes, we will stumble, buti know we'll get back up. that's how a movement happens. that's how history bends. that's how when somebodyis faint of heart, somebody else bringsthem along and says, come on, we're marching. there's a reason whyso many who marched that day, and in the daysto come, were young --

for the young are unconstrainedby habits of fear, unconstrained bythe conventions of what is. they dared to dream differently,to imagine something better. and i am convincedthat same imagination, the same hunger of purposestirs in this generation. we might not face thesame dangers of 1963, but the fierce urgencyof now remains. we may never duplicatethe swelling crowds and dazzling processionof that day so long ago --

no one can matchking's brilliance -- but the same flamethat lit the heart of all who are willing totake a first step for justice, i know that flame remains. that tireless teacherwho gets to class early and stays late and dips intoher own pocket to buy supplies because she believes thatevery child is her charge -- she's marching. that successful businessmanwho doesn't have to

but pays his workers a fair wageand then offers a shot to a man, maybe an ex-conwho is down on his luck -- he's marching. the mother who poursher love into her daughter so that she grows upwith the confidence to walk through the samedoor as anybody's son -- the father who realizesthe most important job he'll ever have israising his boy right, even if he didn'thave a father --

especially if he didn'thave a father at home -- the battle-scarred veteranswho devote themselves not only to helping theirfellow warriors stand again, and walk again, and run again, but to keep serving theircountry when they come home -- they are marching. everyone who realizes what those glorious patriotsknew on that day -- that change does not come fromwashington, but to washington;

that change has always beenbuilt on our willingness, we the people, to take on the mantleof citizenship -- you are marching. and that's thelesson of our past. that's thepromise of tomorrow -- that in the faceof impossible odds, people who love theircountry can change it. that when millions of americansof every race and every region,

every faith and every station, can join together ina spirit of brotherhood, then those mountainswill be made low, and those rough placeswill be made plain, and those crooked places, they straighten outtowards grace, and we will vindicate the faithof those who sacrificed so much and live up to the true meaningof our creed, as one nation, under god,indivisible,

with liberty and justicefor all.

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